City and project partners celebrate key milestones of Pines Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project
SPOKANE VALLEY, WA—On October 16, 2025, the City of Spokane Valley and project partners of the Pines Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project gathered to celebrate the recent significant construction of the project rail bridges in partnership with BNSF Railway and officially broke ground on the roadway portion of the project.
The Pines Road/BNSF Grade Separation Project is located at the intersection of Pines Road and Trent Avenue in Spokane Valley. This project will separate trains and vehicles and is an essential investment in public safety, transportation efficiency and long-term economic growth.
In late September, BNSF Railway constructed and immediately began using a new mainline bridge in less than 24 hours. BNSF has continued construction activities, and this week completed the construction of the second railway bridge.
“BNSF’s work to collaboratively deliver the bridge construction in a way that significantly reduces overall project costs, improves construction efficiency and minimizes impacts to the traveling public is remarkable,” said Mayor Pam Haley. “We are so grateful for this strong, collaborative partnership and appreciate their dedicated, hardworking team.”
The city’s contractors are now actively working on the roadway portion of the project, which aims to be completed in the spring of 2027.
This is the city’s largest capital improvement project to reach construction and second project from the 2004 Bridging the Valley Plan by the Spokane Regional Transportation Council (SRTC). The $48 million project budget is 90% funded with state and federal grants, including $38.5 million in federal grants and $5 million in state grants. In addition, Avista Utilities donated three acres of land along the river to accommodate the new trailhead.
The project includes a new underpass at the BNSF Railway crossing, elimination of street-level crossing, realignment of the intersection of Pines Road and Trent Avenue to the east, replacement of the signalized intersection with a multilane roundabout and new pedestrian facilities, lighting and stormwater improvements and a new Centennial Trail trailhead and parking.
The improvements will save four hours per day of vehicle wait time, improve traffic flow and freight mobility, improve access to I-90 and key arterials in Spokane Valley, enhance access to 226 acres of mixed-use, commercial or industrial zoned property triggering nearly 9,000 new jobs and millions in new tax revenue, improve fire, police and ambulance response and reliability, increase safety by eliminating the risk of train collisions and increase safety for pedestrians, schoolchildren and bicyclists, and reduce noise by eliminating the need for train horns at the crossing.
Learn more about the project at SpokaneValleyWA.gov/PinesBNSF.
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Photo from left to right:
- City Manager John Hohman
- WSDOT Region Administrator for Eastern Region Charlene Kay
- Councilmember Laura Padden
- County Commissioner Al French
- BNSF Northwest Division General Director of Line Maintenance Kasie Howland
- Senior Policy Advisor for US Congressman Michael Baumgartner Mike Padden
- Mayor Pam Haley
- Congressman Michael Baumgartner
- Councilmember Jessica Yaeger
- Councilmember Rod Higgins
- Deputy Mayor Tim Hattenburg
- Councilmember Ben Wick
- SRTC Executive Director Lois Bollenback