Docket Number: TR-210227
LACEY, Wash. - The Utilities and Transportation Commission approved $40,000 from the Grade Crossing Protective Fund at the request of Tacoma Rail to install protective fencing along the Mountain Division Line. Tacoma Rail estimates a total project cost for materials and contract labor at $60,872 and will cover the remaining costs to complete the installation.
Safety improvements will begin between East 65th and East 68th Streets, west of East McKinley Avenue in Tacoma. The project will install galvanized chain-link fencing along the west side of the track to prevent vehicles and pedestrians from trespassing over railroad tracks and accessing a nearby encampment.
In 1969, the Legislature created the GCPF program to provide funding for safety measures to reduce accidents and fatalities at public and private crossings and along railroad tracks.
The UTC regulates railroad safety, including approving new rail crossings and closing or altering existing crossings, investigating train accidents, inspecting railroad crossings, approving safety projects, and promoting rail safety education through Operation Lifesaver.
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