Indiana receives federal funding to improve or eliminate railroad crossings

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Indiana has received millions of dollars in federal funding to improve or eliminate dangerous railroad crossings, the U.S. Department of Transportation said Monday.

More than $570 million was distributed between Indiana and 31 other states to improve safety, close at-grade railroad crossings, and improve existing at-grade crossings where train tracks and roads intersect.

Last year, there were more than 2,000 road-rail collisions in the U.S., and more than 30,000 reports of blocked crossings were submitted to the Federal Railroad Administration’s public complaint portal.

The Indiana projects receiving funding are in the northern or northwestern parts of the state.

These projects include:

Kennedy Avenue Railroad Overpass Project | Schererville | $8,452,558

• Will fund the final design and construction of a grade separation in the Town of Schererville. With over 32 trains traversing the crossing a day, the new structure is expected to improve existing capacity challenges.

Governors Parkway Railroad Overpass Project | Hammond | $7,029,392

• Will eliminate two at-grade crossings where Parrish Avenue and Arizona Avenue intersect with Norfolk Southern Railway’s rail line and build a grade-separated road overpass and a new road alignment to be called Governor’s Parkway.

Buffington Harbor Gateway Project | Gary | $4,500,000

• Will eliminate eight at-grade rail crossings on a heavily traveled freight corridor that is also part of the military’s Strategic Rail Corridor Network. Crossings on Clark Road will be closed and an S-shaped curve alignment will be straightened.

Wells County Hoosier Highway Crossing Elimination Project | Wells Co. | $1,114,261

• Will support development efforts to close three at-grade rail crossings on Norfolk Southern’s rail line by re-aligning Hoosier Highway, easing congestion by allowing for continuous vehicular traffic flow.

Peru Grade Separation Feasibility Study | Peru | $76,000

• The planning project will assess the feasibility of eliminating one or more of six at-grade rail crossings and the construction of an underpass on a Norfolk Southern right-of-way.