City awards Gateway contract

The Shelton City Council on Tuesday awarded a $2.6 million contract to a Puyallup company to construct the city's Western Gateway project on West Railroad Avenue.

Miles Resources offered the lowest responsible bid of the four companies that vied for the contract at $2,552,993. The project includes new pavement, storm drain improvements, new water main and water services, a new bus pullout and bus shelter, and new curb, gutter and sidewalks.

City of Shelton crews last week began pulling up former Simpson Lumber Co. railroad tracks, last used by the company in 2015, to make away for the additions and improvements. This week, crews are removing the tracks that cross West Railroad Avenue between 11th and 12th streets.

City Manager Jeff Niten said the state Department of Transportation is giving the city $100,000 to remove the tracks that cross First Street.

In August 2020, the city was given the former Simpson Railroad right-of-way along West Railroad Avenue from First Street to the intersection of U.S. Highway 101 and Shelton-Matlock Road. The city's plans include a 1.5-mile walking and biking trail.

In 2018, the state Transportation Improvement Board gave the city a $760,400 grant to address deficiencies at the city's western entrance. Funding for the project includes $1.1 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act money.

Train and history buffs are expressing disappointment in the removal of the tracks, including members of the local nonprofit Peninsular Railway and Lumbermen's Museum.

Niten said that prior to the city's acquisition of the rail line, Simpson terminated its lease with Peninsular Railway and Lumbermen's Museum in September 2020 due to noncompliance with terms of the lease. The city in December 2020 notified the group it was pursuing other opportunities for the rail line and declined to sign a new lease, he said.

Over the past 20 years, residents in polls have expressed their desire for more walking and biking paths, the city states.