Much progress has been made on BNSF’s second bridge across Lake Pend Oreille outside Sandpoint, Idaho. Rolling through on the existing 4,769-foot bridge (completed by Northern Pacific in 1904) on Sept. 5th is train H-BARPAS, a Barstow, Calif., to Pasco, Wash., manifest that detoured via Denver due to wildfire damage on BNSF’s route in northern California. Most of the steel piers and concrete pier caps are in place for the new bridge, as well as the first sections of bridge decking. The bridge project was approved by the Coast Guard in 2019 despite opposition by some residents over environmental concerns [see “BNSF bridge project in Idaho gets favorable Coast Guard ruling,” Trains News Wire, Sept. 6, 2019]. — Bruce Kelly
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