The Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency (CREATE) Program partners and the Federal Highway Administration announced the availability of the combined Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and Record of Decision (ROD) for the 75th Street Corridor Improvement Project (75th Street CIP).
A new Metra station at 79th Street in the Chicago neighborhood of Auburn Park-Gresham received a $21.5-million boost in state funds. Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn announced the funds Oct. 11 and is part of the governor’s agenda to create jobs and build infrastructure to drive the state’s economy forward.
Canadian National (CN) opened a new employee training center in suburban Chicago. The 55,000-square-foot facility will host up to 250 CN students from across the United States every week, with hands-on training for all key railway jobs.
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has approved six freight rail improvement projects totaling more than $24 million in grants and loans. The goal of Wisconsin’s freight railroad assistance program is to increase the use of rail transportation and support economic development and job creation.
The California Transportation Commission (CTC) has allocated $1 billion to repair its transportation system and alleviate traffic delays statewide, including $78 million to Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) for its maintenance shop and yard improvements project.
On October 13, Hostetter Road at the intersection of the future Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) corridor fully re-opened from two lanes to three lanes in each direction, marking the completion of an important milestone on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (SCVTA) BART Silicon Valley Berryessa Extension project.
Sound Transit has awarded HDR its construction management services contract for East Link’s light rail Bellevue Segment. Voters approved the measure to construct and operate a light-rail transit system in the Puget Sound region.
Bentley Systems, Inc., a company dedicated to providing software solutions for sustaining infrastructure, has announced the project finalists in the 2014 Be Inspired Awards competition.
A plant scientist at the University of Missouri, Reid Smeda, has been working for more than a decade to help make railroad crossings safer through vegetation management with herbicides.
Rock Hill Capital Group has completed a majority recapitalization of Rail Service & Logistics, LLC (RSL), a railroad services provider involved in the removal and disposal of wood crossties.
Axion International Holdings, Inc., has received its fourth purchase order for ECOTRAX® rail ties to be shipped to Russia for its transit system.
Union Pacific says it will move forward with plans for a new rail yard in Robertson County, Texas, that will strengthen Texas as a national freight transportation hub, create jobs and deliver significant economic stimulus to the region.
The Connecticut Department of Transportation (ConnDOT) plans to close a $188-million funding gap for the design and replacement of the 118-year-old Walk Bridge in Norwalk, Conn., which malfunctioned in two separate incidents within a two week period over the summer, and is used by Metro-North New Haven Line trains.
The opening date for Houston METRO‘s new East End (Green) and Southeast (Purple) Lines have been revised. Issues affecting completion of the additional 10 miles of rail include problems on non-METRO construction projects in the central business district and the performance of equipment used to regulate METRO’s light-rail traffic.
Metro-North Railroad and the city of Mount Vernon, N.Y., have agreed to work together to replace up to three bridges that carry vehicular traffic over Metro-North’s New Haven Line. The bridges are located at Tenth Avenue, Sixth Avenue and North 14th Avenue.
Los Angeles Country Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) held a ceremonial groundbreaking for the Regional Connector, a two-mile light-rail transit segment connecting three existing transit lines in the heart of downtown Los Angeles.
The Maine and New Hampshire Departments of Transportation have reached a tentative price agreement with Cianbro Corporation of Pittsfield, Maine, for the replacement of the Sarah Mildred Long Bridge in Kittery.
The Metropolitan Transportation Commission allocated $8 million in federal funding for Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s (SCVTA) Mountain View Double Track Project.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released its proposed 2015-2019 Capital Program, which details its plan to ensure safe and reliable service for a growing region by investing in the subway, bus, commuter railroad, bridge and tunnel network.
The Economic Development Administration (EDA) is awarding $4.3 million to upgrade critical infrastructure and fund rail projects in Arkansas, Oklahoma and Iowa. The grants are intended to support communities affected by recent natural disasters, as well as communities looking to support and attract businesses.
“The Obama Administration and the Commerce Department are committed to helping communities affected by natural disasters rebuild so they can rebound economically,” said U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker. “The EDA investments announced today support a diverse group of projects – from infrastructure improvements and transportation upgrades to workforce training and disaster recovery efforts – that will enable communities across Arkansas to be more economically resilient in the wake of future natural disasters and other challenges.”
The investments include $1.2 million to the city of Pine Bluff, Ark., which will help upgrade roughly 40 miles of rail line to increase economic resiliency and diversity by providing alternate transportation in times of natural disasters to area businesses and manufacturers. Also, the proposed continued upgrading of the rail line is a vital component of broader efforts to restore and improve critical rail infrastructure that will service Southeast Arkansas and Northeast Louisiana. According to the grantee, the project will enhance the area’s ability to attract new industry and to grow existing industry by improving local logistic infrastructure and will create 24 jobs in the area.
A $1.2 million grant in Corning, Ark., will support rail improvements to an industrial site, enabling Peco Foods, Inc., to build poultry processing and hatchery facilities and associated infrastructure on a 120-acre site in Clay County. According to the grantee, the company has committed to a $165 million investment and the creation of 942 jobs. The feed mill operation will produce 15,000 tons of self-use feed per week to support the breeder and grower flocks grown for the Pocahontas plant and those ingredients will be sourced primarily from local farmers.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation in Shawnee, Okla., received $1,232,023 in Public Works funds to fund the construction of rail infrastructure improvements at the Iron Horse Industrial Park in Pottawatomie County. This project is part of Phase II of development of the park and will provide rail service to the tenants, which include both native and non-native businesses and provide greater access to both domestic and international markets. This investment is part of a $1,232,023 project that the grantee estimates will create 15 jobs and leverage $350,000 in private investment.
The City of Sioux City, Iowa, received $631,102 in Economic Adjustment funds to fund continued implementation of infrastructure and site work necessary for construction of a new, flood-protected rail system to serve and support industries locating or relocating operations into the new Southbridge Business Park, which is located outside the city’s flood-prone area. This project supports the city’s efforts to implement flood protection and disaster resiliency measures in the region severely impacted and still recovering from the 2011 flooding of the Missouri River.