- Federal leaders are working to eliminate railroad crossings and keep traffic moving in Georgia.
- Federal grant funding is available to help with the issue in neighborhoods around the state.
- Watch our report on the issue in Thomasville from 2023 below and read a news release from Sen. Jon Ossoff on the possible solutions available.
THOMASVILLE REPORT:
NEWS RELEASE:
U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff today announced Federal grant funding is available to help eliminate dangerous railroad crossings in Georgia through the bipartisan infrastructure law.
The Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, which is made possible by the bipartisan infrastructure law, provides Federal funding [railroads.dot.gov] for projects to address safety concerns at rail crossings through a competitive U.S. Department of Transportation grant process.
Eligible projects include the addition of grade separations, closing at-grade crossings, and improving existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect.
States, local governments, metropolitan planning organizations, or public port authorities can submit applications to be considered for Federal funding.
Applications can be submitted online here [grants.gov]. For more information about the grant program and to submit applications, please click here. Applications to the Railroad Crossing Elimination Funding Opportunity must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on September 23, 2024.
“Blockages at rail crossings are not just an inconvenience, but they can be a matter of life and death,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I encourage Georgia communities to contact me and my office with any questions about this grant opportunity through the bipartisan infrastructure law.”
Last year, Sens. Ossoff and Warnock delivered Federal resources [warnock.senate.gov] for Chatham, DeKalb, and Gwinnett Counties through the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program.
Last December, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock delivered [ossoff.senate.gov] $12 million in new Federal funding for a project in Jenkins County that will improve mobility by helping eliminate railway-highway crossings through the bipartisan infrastructure law’s Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program.
In 2022, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry [ossoff.senate.gov] with the Federal Railroad Administration as part of the Agency’s ongoing investigation into trains causing traffic delays, submitting testimonials from cities, counties, and constituents across the state encountering blocked railroad crossings, harming residents’ abilities to work, school, the grocery store, doctor’s offices, and more.
