Ridgefield opens new rail overpass

RIDGEFIELD — Local officials held a ribbon-cutting last week to mark completion of the Pioneer Street Rail Overpass prior to its opening to all traffic on Friday. The $17 million project provides a safe link for vehicle and pedestrians to cross over the BNSF Railway main line from downtown to the waterfront, where the Port of Ridgefield plans to redevelop 41 acres. The Pioneer Street route is now the only access to all areas of the waterfront, which means locomotives will no longer have to sound their horns at grade-level crossings when passing through town. “There have been accidents and deaths on the tracks in and around Ridgefield,” said Scott Hughes, president of the Port of Ridgefield’s board. “While it’s taken 20 years, with the help of our state Sen. Ann Rivers and Reps. Larry Hoff and Brandon Vick, we’ve secured funding and support for it.”