Port boom means rail rattle for Fife
As the Port of Tacoma, Washington positions itself to be one of the biggest container ports on the West Coast, it has been music to the ears of local businesses, longshoremen and economic development leaders.
Part of that growth, however, doesn’t sound so sweet to the City of Fife.
Port and Union Pacific Railroad officials want to add more tracks through Fife for the rail cars that carry containers from the port to the Midwest and East Coast. But Fife residents are concerned about more railroad noise affecting the growing neighborhoods near the tracks.
About 14 Union Pacific trains run each day through Fife. The company already operates a switching yard south of Interstate 5, and residents along the line have complained in the past about whistle noise and the din that arises when crews switch rail cars.
City Councilman Richard Godwin said an extra two tracks would be the equivalent of a second noisy yard, although no decision has been made yet on the number of tracks.
“Installing a switchyard in the back yard of Fife’s residential community is unacceptable,” Godwin said. “It’s troubling. How do you plan when all the players aren’t on the same page?”
The question illustrates the tensions of a city with something of a split identity. Fife has long staked its fortunes to the industries of the Tacoma Tideflats. The city’s distribution warehouses have created jobs and provided dependable tax revenue.
But residents overwhelmed by truck traffic, railroad noise and other effects of heavy shipping have pushed the city to shift its focus to residential growth. They’ve had some success: About 1,100 new homes are planned just south of the Union Pacific tracks.
The city also has taken steps to accommodate the railroad. In 1996, it agreed to close 54th Avenue East at the tracks so Union Pacific could extend a siding track. Many people complained at the time about railroad n