Jonesboro, Little Rock receive railroad study funds

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced that it has awarded more than $1.9 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding for two rail projects in Arkansas.

About $1.2 million will be used for a railroad crossing study in Jonesboro and $720,000 will be doled towards a study of the Fourche Dam Pike crossing in Little Rock.

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 $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak.

“This administration is tackling the issues that Americans face every day, and over the years, we have engaged with residents, community leaders, and stakeholders across the country on the issue of grade crossing safety and blocked crossings,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding we’re announcing today is a sweeping effort that directly supports cities, towns, and villages in every region of the country in their efforts to protect lives, prevent drivers being delayed by blocked crossings, and improve the overall quality of life for their citizens.”

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.

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.

The Jonesboro study will conduct a stakeholder analysis, evaluate 18 railroad crossings along the BNSF Thayer South subdivision, and conduct an alternatives analysis and conceptual engineering of 18 crossings.

The city and BNSF will contribute the 20% 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 other federal grant will study the feasibility of a grade separation at Fourche Dam Pike, in the Port of Little Rock. The project will analyze traffic and safety problems, determine feasibility and cost of a rail grade separation, conduct an alternatives analysis, and make preferred safety and congestion options recommendations.

The Little Rock Port Authority will contribute the 20% non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for planning projects.