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KALISPELL 14°F 10°C CLEAR SKY L News & Features Outlook 2018: Rail Park Construction Continues as Core Area Project Takes Shape This could be the final year for trains in downtown Kalispell BY JUSTIN FRANZ JAN 2, 2018 ast week, an orange locomotive and four freight cars filled to the brim with grain rumbled through downtown Kalispell. Trains have been a familiar sight in 1 of 2 Photos of the Year 2017 VIEW PHOTOS FACES AND PLACES PHOTO GALLERY EDITOR'S PICK MORE SHOW CAPTIONS ---PAGE BREAK--- Kalispell ever since the Great Northern Railway arrived in town 126 years ago, on Jan. 2, 1892. But sometime in the next year, that will all change. Construction of the new Glacier Rail Park east of town is continuing at a feverish pace. If everything goes according to plan, the rail park along Whitefish Stage Road will open in late 2018 and trains will no longer rumble across U.S. Highway 93. Next summer, CHS Kalispell and Northwest Drywall, the last two businesses near downtown Kalispell that rely on the rails, are expected to break ground on new facilities at the rail park. When those two businesses move, the rails – built by Great Northern, owned by BNSF Railway and currently used by Watco Companies’ Mission Mountain Railroad – will be ripped up, possibly as early as 2019. The rails will be replaced with a trail connecting Woodland Park with the west side of town and officials hope the path will spur development on about 40 acres of underutilized land. “This project is on track,” said Kalispell Planning and Building Director Tom Jentz. “This will be a truly transformative project.” “We’re not just talking about an 8footwide path through town, we’re talking about the construction of a promenade that will become a significant feature of this community,” Jentz said. LHC, Inc. was selected in June 2017 to construct the $11.2 million, 43acre Glacier Rail Park. The railserved industrial park will feature space for numerous businesses as well as what’s called in the railroad industry as a “team track,” which is a space that multiple businesses can use to load and unload freight cars. LHC’s Amy Williams said construction has continued through the winter. In recent months, new waterlines have been installed, roads have been constructed and a detention pond for wastewater is on the docket. LHC will also begin construction of the roadbed that will be the platform for a subcontractor to construct railroad tracks that will connect with the line from Columbia Falls. Embed View on Twitter Flathead Beacon staff A Twitter list by @FlatheadBeacon Follow our journalists for breaking news & other reports 9m Justin Franz Retweeted aw, the best of the Flathead police blotter: 7:53 p.m. A man with his own puke bucket showed up and made a scene.flatheadbeacon.com/2017/12/30/bes … Anne Helen Petersen @annehelen Best of the Police Blotte… Crime is no laughing ma… flatheadbeacon.com Justin Franz ---PAGE BREAK--- NEWS & FEATURES SPORTS OUTDOORS ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT OPINION PHOTOS EVENTS ABOUT US MARKETPLACE Advertise Subscribe Advertiser Tear Sheets Email & RSS Feeds Contact Us © 2018 Flathead Beacon, All Rights Reserved. Use of this site is subject to the Flathead Beacon's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Flathead Beacon During the construction, some roads around the site have been closed, including sections of Oregon Lane, Flathead Drive and Montclair Drive. The closure is expected to last until at least until June. While construction crews keep busy at the rail park, the city of Kalispell is getting ready to work with the public and local property owners to develop the freedup space downtown. Jentz said the city would host a number of public meetings and open houses in 2018 to gather public input on what the core area should look like. Already a number of ideas have surfaced, including a new library, an arts center, storefronts and apartments. “We want to get the public involved with this development,” Jentz said. MORE FROM THE BEACON 1 Comment Sort by Sandra Holback Will the Highspeed rail connect to this new station? Like ꞏ Reply ꞏ 8 mins Facebook Comments Plugin Newest Add a comment... Feat x Feet Presents to the Soul’ in Whitefish Glacier National Park Boats Added to Historic Register Kalispell School Board to Review Final Proposal for New Elementary Boundaries 17 Main Street • Kalispell • Montana • 59901 • USA • (406) 2579220 • ---PAGE BREAK---