The June 5 announcement comes as part of $570 million in funding for 63 projects in 32 states that will help reduce train-vehicle collisions and blocked rail crossings in the United States, according to a Federal Railroad Administration news release.
The details
The news release went on to state that the proposed Haslet-Fort Worth-Saginaw Corridor Bonds Ranch Road grade separation project will support final design and construction for a four-lane grade separated road with new multimodal shared-use bicycle and pedestrian pathways. This project will improve safety at rail crossing right of way owned by Burlington Northern Santa Fe and provide transportation modal alternatives.
According to TxDOT, the total project cost is just under $23 million. Beyond the $17 million from US DOT, the project includes the following funding sources:
- $229,167 in Federal Highway Administration funds
- Up to $4 million from the city of Fort Worth
- $1.5 million from the BNSF Railway
Quote of note
“Every year, commuters, residents and first responders lose valuable time waiting at blocked railroad crossings—and worse, those crossings are too often the site of collisions that could be prevented,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release. “As part of President [Joe] Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re improving rail crossings in communities across the country to save lives, time and resources for American families.”
Diving in deeper
According to the news release, this inaugural round of funding will address more than 400 at-grade crossings nationwide; improve safety; and make it easier to get around railroad tracks by adding grade separations, closing at-grade crossings, and improving existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect.
The news release went on to state that in 2022, there were more than 2,000 highway-rail crossing collisions in the U.S. and more than 30,000 reports of blocked crossings submitted to the FRA’s public complaint portal.
“The railroad crossing elimination grant program is another critical tool that FRA is using to make a lasting impact on the safety and transportation needs of communities nationwide,” FRA Administrator Amit Bose said in the release. “With these project selections and the many more that are to come, we will save lives and reshape infrastructure in ways that allow individuals to move through their neighborhoods seamlessly and safely.”
