Re: Is NWP hanging on by a thread?
Author: mook
Date: 03-13-2014 - 12:44
I think 'NWP' said it was $50mil to Redwood Valley, just north of Ukiah, not to Willits. IIRC there's at least one damaged tunnel in the Russian River canyon between Cloverdale and Hopland and others that need attention, several bridges to repair/update, and if you look at the line in Google a LOT of cleanup - jack up the rust & build a new railroad? And after all these years, is it likely that ANY wiring for the grade crossings is still there?
There's probably *some* freight business potential in the Ukiah area, but I don't see much along the line otherwise in Google photos. So $5mil to Cloverdale might be doable (though for what business - plywood place looks pretty defunct in Google?), though you would need the eventual presence of SMART (for the maintenance $$) to make it sensible. Unless of course the bridge at Healdsburg needs a lot of work, in which case $5mil is a down payment. But I suspect little enthusiasm for Ukiah/Redwood Valley due to the high cost vs. moderate (at best) freight possibilities.