Steve, your photos and information about the project are really excellent. As to your thoughts about the loss of the scenic Puget Sound waterfront route (and that is kind of sad), and more importantly, the issue of grade crossings with fast-moving passenger trains: I grew up west of Chicago on the then-Burlington three track mainline, known now to rail buffs as the BNSF Racetrack. I visit back there every now and then, and other than newer commuter cars and locomotives, things look the same. Way back in the 50's, as I recall, the west suburban towns on both the "Q" and the C.&N.W. (my grandparents lived right at the spot where the Soo crossed over the four-track Northwestern main in River Forest) were all "quiet zones" and they continue to be today. Dozens of commuter trains roll through my old village every weekday, augmented by fast expresses and Amtrak trains (and a lot of freights, also). The only time horns are typically sounded is when a fast train on the middle track is overtaking a stopped or slowing local at one of the stations. There are no quad gates that I've seen in my most recent visits...just the usual gates plus often some short pedestrian gates at the sidewalks. At one point in the 60's I was a brakeman on the Northwestern and experienced freights running at as much as sixty mph through the very tony suburbs along Lake Michigan north of Chicago. Same thing...horns rarely used.

So I don't understand why with some reasonable amount of public education the south Pierce County folks can't learn to stop for trains. After all, right here in Sumner and Puyallup the Cascades and the Coast Starlight, not to mention BNSF freights, fly through downtown with horns blasting and people seem to usually stay out of harm's way.