The railroad bridge over the Lewis River has experienced a number of fatalities, injuries and close calls leading to the Clark County Council holding a public hearing about vacating the adjacent Northwest Lancaster Road. (Amanda Cowan/The Columbian)Photo Gallery
A hazardous railroad bridge near Ridgefield is one step closer to being safer after the Clark County Council held a public hearing Feb. 7 about vacating the adjacent Northwest Lancaster Road.
Although the railroad bridge has no pedestrian access, it has become a frequent summertime spot for those looking to plunge into the Lewis River below. However, the bridge has a history of fatalities, injuries and near-misses from trains hurling down the track at 70 mph.
The closure would affect all of Northwest Lancaster Road from where it becomes Northwest 71st Avenue.
The first documented incident was in 2004, when a train killed a man and his 12-year-old daughter and injured three other children as they crossed the bridge. But David Morgan, whose family has owned the property the road runs through since 1941, remembers incidents as far back as the 1980s.
“I freak out when I hear the railroad trains come to a stop, and then my next expectation is to hear Fire and Rescue show up,” Morgan said at the public hearing.
The council took action in late 2022 to transfer the right of way for Northwest Lancaster Road to Morgan, making it a private road and allowing Morgan to install a gate and a turnaround area a bit past Northwest 71st Avenue, removing the easy access to the bridge.
Morgan first approached the county about vacating the road in 2008, but because of a state law preventing the vacation of roads that touch navigable waters, the county was not able to. In 2020, Morgan successfully lobbied the Legislature for a temporary exception to the law.
“A long time coming is an understatement,” Councilor Gary Medvigy said at the public hearing. “And the amount of work not only by staff but by the petitioner, amazing.”
Next steps
In order for the county to vacate the road, Morgan must meet conditions outlined by the county, including paying for the value of the land and ensuring that any gate installed there allows access for emergency vehicles. Additionally, the county engineer must certify the costs and expenses incurred, administrative costs must be paid by Morgan and then a final order of vacation can be brought before the council.
“It’ll improve public safety,” Medvigy said, “give you (Morgan) some peace of mind, including to the firefighters and first responders out there, not having to worry about someone being slaughtered on the trestle from here on.”
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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