WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today (Friday) announced that it has awarded more than $15.3 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding to three rail projects in Iowa. This funding is part of a $1.1 billion total investment to improve and study more than 1,000 highway rail crossings nationwide, and it is the largest single investment in grade crossing safety in FRA’s history. Combined with previous rail investments announced under the Biden-Harris Administration, FRA has now invested a historic $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak.

The Rail grants for communities in 41 states that will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders. The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings—which delays drivers and emergency responders alike—greatly enhancing safety, mobility, and connectivity for local communities nationwide.

Accidents at grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities occurring at grade crossings each year. Furthermore, blockages resulting from slow moving or stalled trains at crossings cost time and resources for American families and may cut off access roads and delay first responders from reaching emergencies. Over the last twelve months, FRA received more than 26,000 complaints of blocked crossings through the agency’s Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter.

Projects funded by the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program include:

Clay County Crossing #385705E Elimination (Up to $3,280,000); Clay County

The proposed project was selected for Final Design and Construction and includes activities to remove a Canadian Pacific Kansas City at-grade crossing and construct a high-level grade separation in Clay County, Iowa. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will remove an unsafe railroad crossing and improve the movement of freight and emergency services. Clay County and Canadian Pacific Kansas City will contribute the 31.45 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

Broadway Avenue Phase 2 Crossing Elimination and Safety Improvements Project  (Up to $11,522,095); Polk County

The proposed project was selected for Construction and includes activities to grade separate a crossing and improve two additional at-grade rail crossings in Polk County, Iowa. The project will build a roadway underpass at the intersection of a dual Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) track and Broadway Avenue and install new signals, gates, and raised medians at the other two nearby crossings. This project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety and improving mobility, as the project will reduce incidents, reduce congestion, improve freight and commuter movement, provide multimodal transportation options, and increase roadway safety. Polk County will contribute the 26.1 percent non-Federal match.

Merrill Grade Crossings Study (Up to $540,000); Iowa Department of Transportation

The proposed project was selected for Project Planning and includes activities to evaluate highway-rail grade crossing safety and a potential highway-rail grade separation in Merrill, Iowa. The project will conduct a planning and feasibility analysis to identify ways to improve highway safety and traffic flows in the Merrill area and mitigate a physical barrier posed by the rail corridor in the community. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will eliminate the risk of future highway-rail grade crossing incidents. Iowa DOT and BNSF will contribute the 20 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for Planning projects and the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

The full list of FY 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program selections can be found here. More information about the grant program is available here.