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New facility near Spokane airport celebrates groundbreaking

Officials hope the new facility leads to more business and jobs.

SPOKANE, Wash. — A new rail-truck facility celebrated its groundbreaking on Wednesday.

The facility is on South Craig road, about 10 minutes from the Spokane airport.

The new tracks were built with the intention of making the import of cargo and goods faster and more efficient.

Construction on the railway began in September of 2021 and cost $14.3 million and includes three new rail tracks which cover nearly two miles.

"The objective here is economic development and not only for business recruitment but to provide cost efficiency's to existing businesses and helping them grow. And attracting new businesses," said Larry Krauter, the CEO of Spokane Airports

Krauter says the project is just the beginning of a larger plan.

"We want to continue to make additional investment with our own money, attract additional grant resources from the state and federal resources that we talked about today, and then also selling our property as well to companies that would like to come in here and relocate near the transit facility," said Kauter.

The new rail connects to the Geiger Spur rail line, which was built in 2018 to attract more aerospace and manufacturing companies. For reference, one train holding cargo will eliminate 400 trucks off the I-90 freeway.

The mayor says that the new rail will impact everyone's lives.

"I think they'll see the difference of traffic off of I-90 but the way we can transport goods and products is really a game changer, for businesses that locate here and the products that we're able to move in the region," said the mayor Nadine Woodward.

Airport officials say they hope the new railroad will lead to more business and jobs.

Trains are expected to be fully operational by Spring 2023.

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