Kentucky Delivering $1.25MM in Grade Crossing Improvement Grants

Grants totaling $1.25 million will go toward safety improvements at 11 highway/rail grade crossings in eight Kentucky counties. Five of the crossings are in communities served by Norfolk Southern (NS).

The state’s rail crossing improvement grant program—jointly administered by the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Division of Planning and Division of Right of Way and Utilities—also provided funding for projects along the 280-mile regional Paducah & Louisville, R.J. Corman Railroad Group and Transkentucky Transportation Railroad (TTI), a 50-mile subsidiary of Midwest & Bluegrass Rail. The grants cover 80% of each project, which require a 20% percent funding match.

When selecting grant recipients, such factors as crash history, traffic (vehicle, train, truck), physical condition, project cost, and the federal railroad crossing score were examined.

The projects receiving grants are:

• NS: Installation of raised curbs and delineators to keep vehicles in line while queued at crossings and to deter drivers from attempting to drive around crossing gates. Three crossing sites are in Jefferson County (15th Street, Floyd Street and Garland Avenue), with one each in Kenton County (Beechwood Road) and Scott County (Main Street). “Norfolk Southern is committed to enhancing the safety of railway crossings across the communities we serve, and we are grateful for Gov. [Andy] Beshear’s partnership in this effort to further public safety,” NS Public Safety Director Will Miller said following the Aug. 18 announcement. “By installing supplemental safety measures like raised curb devices at these crossings, we are taking proactive steps to safeguard the well-being of our train crews, first responders, and other motorists.” Grant total: $102,936.
• P&L: Four projects to upgrade lights and signals at two crossings in Jefferson County (East Orell Road and Blevins Gap Road) and one each in Hopkins County (Princeton Road) and Hardin County (College Street). Grant total: $875,638.
• R.J. Corman: Upgrade of signals and lights at a crossing on Lewisburg Road (KY 3519) in Logan County. Grant total: $205,205.
• TTI: Replacement of a control shelter, gate, track wires and signal cables at a crossing on Moorefield Road (KY 36) in Nicholas County. Grant total: $66,220.

“These grants represent a worthwhile investment in public safety and rail transportation efficiency,” Kentucky Transportation Secretary Jim Gray said during the announcement.

Download the list of railroad crossing projects below:

In a related development, the Federal Railroad Administration in June reported that 63 projects will share more than $570 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding to address safety at 400-plus at-grade crossings nationwide.