Construction crews are preparing for the installation of a 182,560-square-foot concrete staging area for the Rail-Truck Transload Facility near the Spokane International Airport, says Todd Woodard, director of marketing and public affairs for the airport.

The site also will include two loading tracks, one running track, and five turnouts as part of the second stage of the $14.3 million project that began last September and is expected to be completed by the end of 2022. 

Loading tracks will support the loading and unloading of rail cars at the facility and the running track will be used for movement throughout the transload area, Woodard explains.

Spokane-based general contractor Halme Construction Inc. is working in partnership with Seattle-based KPFF Consulting Engineers as the project design engineer and construction manager for the facility.

The next step in the construction process will include the final placement of rolled compacted concrete, asphalt paving of the access road, and the installation of signage, a guard house, fencing, and landscaping improvements, he says.

As previously reported in the Journal, the first phase of the project included the construction of a 4,500-foot Geiger spur rail line extension intended to help alleviate congestion and damage to infrastructure on Interstate 90 by having freight shipped by rail instead of the roadway.

Woodard says the transload facility could support the transportation of commodities and materials including steel and lumber products, municipal solid waste, fuels, agricultural materials, and construction equipment.

He says that if demand for the transload facility is strong, a third stage of construction has been identified that would further expand the track to accommodate other rail users in the area that receive or ship commodities and products.

The goal for the Rail-Truck Transload Facility is to provide multi-modal freight movement services needed to meet a growing demand for a larger transportation and logistics network for local commercial and industrial industries.