Skunk Train Tunnel 1 Repair Moves Forward
Many controversies and lawsuits revolve around the relationship between Mendocino Railway, the local government, and the community of Fort Bragg. Fixing Tunnel 1 between Fort Bragg and Willits is typically not one of them. The tunnel initially collapsed in 2013. During repairs in 2015 a secondary failure shut down construction. The railway has set several goal lines to get it repaired, but it is still not usable. In the interim, the Skunk altered their offerings to tourists running a short trip from Fort Bragg to Glen Blair and a longer ride from Willits to Northspur. They also added rail bikes and made several improvements at Glen Blair that created a destination, including trails, a picnic area, and an event space.
In January of this year, Mendocino Railway was included in a $31.4 million loan with the Sierra Northern Railway from the US Department of Transportation. At that time, neither the railway nor local officials were willing to be interviewed in part due to the lawsuits. Although, Mayor Norvell of Fort Bragg, commented last February that he couldn’t think of anyone who doesn't want to see the tunnel repaired.
Robert Pinoli the president of Mendocino Railway sat down with us to talk about the tunnel, both local opposition, and local support for their mill site plans, and the most recent lawsuit the railway filed against the City of Fort Bragg over polluted stormwater. Today we will talk with Pinoli about the tunnel. We hope to provide additional pieces about the lawsuits and mill site with the City’s comments and other local input in the coming weeks.
