WASHINGTON — More than $1.1 billion in funding is now available under a federal program to eliminate railroad grade crossings.
The Federal Railroad Administration on Tuesday issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity for those funds under the Rail Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which provides money for grade-crossing separations, upgraded safety devises, or crossing closures. Applications are evaluated on criteria such as improving safety, increasing community connectivity, and enhancing access to emergency services. At least 20% of the funding will go to projects in rural areas or on tribal lands, and about $38 million will be available for project planning.
The program, created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, last year awarded funds to 63 projects [see “FRA to fund $570 million in grade-crossing projects,” Trains News Wire, June 5, 2023], including 32 that received funding for construction.
“By making grade crossings safer or eliminating them altogether, we are acting to ensure Americans spend less time stuck in lengthy delays, can get around their neighborhoods more easily and safely, and can avoid the needless tragedies that result from collisions with trains,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release. FRA Administrator Amit Bose said the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has equipped his agency with “unprecedented levels of resources to tackle long-standing issues of grade crossing collisions and blocked crossings, which create safety risks for numerous communities around the country.”
The Notice of Funding Opportunity is available here; more details on the crossing elimination program are available here.
Funny Tri-Rail is being shown, not one Florida GOP rep voted for the “Bipartisan Infrastructure Law”. Florida is a taker State of federal dollars though and our local rep will campaign on how he brought money to Florida, not mentioning that he Votes against any bill that helps all his constituents.
$1B+ will not go very far if most goes to eliminate a crossing with either an over pass on underpass. What kind of matching funds are required?