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State transportation study maps rail, road and utility risks if Lower Snake River barging stops
Summary
WSDOT and a JTC‑commissioned WSU review laid out scenario modeling for moving wheat and other freight if Lower Snake River barge service ceased, identifying rail terminal options, county road tonnage shifts, and model limitations to be addressed before cost estimates and final recommendations.
The Joint Transportation Committee heard on‑the‑record presentations on a Washington State Department of Transportation study that models how the state’s transportation system would need to adapt if barge traffic on the Lower Snake River could no longer move freight.
"This is not about whether the Lower Snake River Dam should be removed or not," JTC project manager Dave Catterson told the committee, framing the study as an effort to assess how the state might prepare for that contingency. WSDOT project lead Jim Mayhew described a four‑phase study that inventories current freight flows, tests scenarios for 2020 and 2045 with and without dams, and will produce a final…
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