Photos of 770 foot trestle over Curlew Lake by Bob Whittaker
Ferry County: Another milestone for the Ferry County Rail Trail was reached today when the Northeast Washington RTPO Policy Board awarded a $100,000 WSDOT Transportation Enhancement grant to the County. The original grant application was for approximately $300,000 for design and installation of decking and a railing on the railroad trestle over the north end of Curlew Lake as well as signage and some resurfacing of the grade to make it more user friendly. While the award is not enough to deck the trestle the funds are still considered a major win and can be put towards securing the trestle and improving the trail in the lake area for non-motorized users such as pedestrians, bicycles, equestrians and x-country skier’s.
The application was a coordinated effort that involved the County’s Rail Corridor Committee (RCC), Ferry County Rail Trail Partners (FCRTP) and County Engineer Bob Breshears. RCC Chair Roberta Weller said, “We are very happy. This first successful grant award for the new rail trail represents a lot of hard work from both volunteer groups, the County Engineer and our community”.
Six projects from Northeast Washington municipalities competed for the $350,000 made available to the greater tri-county area. “The WSDOT Transportation Enhancement program is one of the primary sources of capital funds for rail trail development in Washington State,” said Bob Whittaker, president of FCRTP. “These are the funds we need to aggressively pursue to create a beautiful trail facility that the community can enjoy and will also draw much needed recreational tourism dollars to our area”
The FCRTP plan a small celebration to be held in conjunction with Rail Trail Ski day Jan 15th in Curlew. Festivities will include free ski clinics and equipment use including skis and snowshoes for beginners.
Find out more at: www.ferrycountyrailtrail.com
