Lewis Street project soars $6M over budget as BNSF Railway requests more underpass work
The country’s largest freight railway is requesting Pasco, Wash., pay for an additional $2.5 million in work to demolish, fill and grade a 90-year-old tunnel.
City staff told Pasco City Council last week that BNSF Railway had come to them “very late in the process” requesting additional structural work be conducted after the Lewis Street Underpass was filled in. The underpass is being replaced by a new, 625-foot-long bridge that will open in April, spanning tracks owned by the railroad giant and connecting downtown with east Pasco.
The city had already earmarked money to fill in the tunnel when it went out to bid the bridge’s construction in late 2020. Pasco and BNSF had agreed the city would abandon its underpass easement in exchange for the overpass’s easement once the project was fully complete the summer of 2024.
But the railway apparently approached the city as bids were going out about an extra $2.5 million in work that would include demolishing the top 6 feet of the structure and the underpass’s roof, back filling it to grade, and stabilizing the foundation of tracks that rest on the underpass’ roof.
“I’ve been in every one of those meetings with BNSF, and this was not something that was ever identified, even discussed,” Michael Ulman, the city’s project manager and engineer, told the city council.
In a statement, BNSF said it continues to work with the city to update costs and schedules as the project advances toward completion. Construction work and delays have affected their work on the site, as well.
“BNSF remains an active partner supporting the city’s bridge project and demolition of the old Lewis Street Underpass,” media staff wrote.
A complex Tri-City project
It’s just the latest in a long string of cost overruns that have plagued the Lewis Street overpass project.
So far, the city council has approved 36 change orders totaling $3.8 million in additional work requested by Cascade Bridge, the Vancouver, Wash.-based company building the bridge. A large chunk of that — about $1.5 million worth — was spent to redesign proprietary structural earth walls along the span and modifications needed to build them.
The firm was awarded the contract in 2021 to build the overpass for $22.3 million, with the cost of the project already totaling north of $36 million.
Adding on BNSF’s eleventh-hour notice, Pasco will be left on the hook to front more than $6 million in unanticipated construction costs related to the project.
“It’s just another frustration,” Mayor Pro Tem David Milne said, adding that he believes the railroad should share in the underpass work. “It just seems like you can’t catch a break.”
The scope of the extra underpass work will require Pasco to bid out for a new contractor, said Pasco interim public works director Maria Serra. The project will also require special contract work from the railroad.
The cost will initially be paid for by the city, but Serra says they plan to go out for additional state and federal grants that would pay for it.
“We did not know that BNSF would require us to demolish parts of the structure at the time that we would be filling it up,” Serra said. “It’s kind of surprise on top of surprise... We had been working with BNSF for years before we went out to bid and the request to demolish the structure came at the very last moment.”
Despite the complex nature of maintaining a structure under federal railroad regulations, some in Pasco still want to see the underpass preserved and used for pedestrian use. But BNSF has requested the underpass be demolished by early 2025.
Resident Felix Vargas, who detailed its historic significance in a recent Herald story, called on community members who want to save the underpass to rally the city council at its March 4 meeting.
The city is planning a landmark made out of a portion of the underpass exterior to commemorate the history of the span.
‘Money Street Overpass’
Five blocks of Lewis Street, between 2nd Avenue and Oregon Avenue, are currently closed to drivers as construction workers finish rerouting Lewis Street onto the new bridge.
The underpass closed to drivers for the last time on Monday, Feb. 26. Meanwhile, traffic is being rerouted onto East A Street.
When the bridge opens for the first time in April, commuters will be greeted with two lanes of traffic, bike lanes and sidewalks.
The traffic project is among the most complex the city of Pasco has ever dealt with. It’s been a headache for contractors due to its size, the amount of materials needed, BNSF project regulations and the removal of old downtown foundations and infrastructure.
Pasco Councilman Leo Perales said he used to call the project the “Money Street Overpass” because of how much additional work was being added on. He’s since retracted the comments, noting how proactive city staff have been about securing extra grants to cover the work.
The overpass is being paid for mostly by the state and federal governments. Washington has contributed $24.4 million, the city has contributed $8.4 million and the feds have pitched in $3.4 million. This doesn’t include the additional change orders from Cascade Bridge or work requested of BNSF.
This story was originally published February 29, 2024 at 12:47 PM.
