Grant program established to reduce Georgia dangerous rail crossings

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - Georgia’s two Democratic U.S. senators announced Tuesday funding to eliminate blocked railroad crossings in the state and to upgrade rail safety.

U.S. Sens. Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock announced the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program which provides federal funding for projects to address safety concerns at rail crossings through a U.S. Department of Transportation grant process.

The investments are aimed at projects in Atlanta, Cornelia, Powder Springs and Gainesville, and are designed to enhance enhancing safety, reduce traffic delays, and improve accessibility.

Trains blocking railroad crossings, sometimes days, are causing dangerous delays in communities across Georgia and nationwide, according to a recent investigation by InvestigateTV and ProPublica.

Recent spectacular derailments have focused attention on train safety and whether the nation’s powerful rail companies are doing enough to protect the public, and whether federal regulators are doing enough to make them, especially as the companies build longer and longer trains.

According to data from the Federal Railroad Administration, 2,370 complaints have been filed to the federal agency about blocked train crossings in Georgia since December 2019. Sometimes hours, sometimes for days. Witnesses report seeing pedestrians cross between the train carts, businesses losing customers due to no street access, or emergency crews forced to take detours.

‘That ain’t good’ | Residents cringe when trains approach crossings

Here are the projects targeted in Ossoff’s and Warnock’s grant program:

• City of Atlanta safe crossing study. $1.2 million. This project will evaluate 23 at-grade crossings in Atlanta, identifying opportunities to improve safety, mobility, and access to services and economic opportunities. The study will involve stakeholder engagement, environmental reviews, and feasibility studies to prioritize future improvements. The city of Atlanta will provide a 20% non-Federal match for the project.
• City of Cornelia pedestrian bridge. $1,149,600. This project will develop plans for an ADA-accessible pedestrian bridge over Norfolk Southern railroad tracks, connecting Cornelia’s downtown to parking and community services. Cornelia will contribute a 20% non-Federal match, with funding qualifying for rural and planning project statutory set-asides.

• Powder Springs Dallas Road corridor crossing closure project. $800,000. This initiative will assess alternatives for closing three highway-rail grade crossings in Cobb County. Powder Springs, Georgia Department of Transportation, Cobb County, and Norfolk Southern will jointly contribute a 20% non-Federal match.
• Navajo Circle Life/safety grade separation planning project. $319,360. Hall County will assess safety improvements for the Navajo Circle crossing, including potential grade separation and track relocation. Hall County will provide a 20% non-federal match, with the project qualifying for rural and planning project statutory set-asides.

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