SANDPOINT, Idaho — The U.S. Coast Guard is looking for public comments on how two bridge proposals by BNSF Railway would affect navigation on the Pend Oreille River and Lake Pend Oreille.
Two new bridges would parallel the existing 1905-built Northern Pacific bridges on BNSF’s “Northern Transcon.” One would be 4,874-feet-long. The other would be about 500-feet.
BNSF maintenance crews have had to make emergency repairs to the existing bridge in recent years to keep it in service. New bridges would enable the railroad to expand capacity with another bridge in place while permitting repair work on the older bridge.
Comments are due to the coast guard by Thursday, Jan. 17.
