August 22, 2022

Richland, Wash. – Port of Benton has completed reconstructing the Van Giesen/State Route 224 railroad crossing. The project began at noon on Thursday, August 18, and crews worked continuously until construction was completed. Crews reopened the intersection early this morning.

The project encompassed replacing the entire rail crossing, adding concrete  panels, new rail ties and repaving.

The Port owns the rail and trackage and recently evicted longtime rail tenant and short-line operator, Tri-City Railroad, due to them being deficient on rail maintenance for years.

To ensure safety and continued rail service to the community, and despite near-constant litigation with Tri-City Railroad, the Port stepped in to address rail maintenance issues and moved forward with the crossing replacement projects in 2021.

The Port plans to replace the Swift Boulevard/Cemetery Road rail crossing in September and the State Route 240 crossing in 2023. The 2022 projects are 100% Port funded, and the Port anticipates funding the 2023 work using a mix of Port and grant funding. The Port is currently seeking applications for a new short-line rail operator.

For additional information, please visit portofbenton.com/projects, or call 509-375-3060.

*Please note that although Port of Benton owns the rail and trackage commonly known as the Southern Connection, for all legal intents and purposes, the Port of Benton is not considered a railroad, and as such, will not be taking over any operations of the Port trackage.  

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