FRA Grants $3M to Virginia for Rail Crossing Updates

FRA

RICHMOND, Va. – The Commonwealth of Virginia receives over $3 million from the FRA for rail crossing upgrades.

According to a press release from the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT), funding from the US Department of Transportation’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program will provide upgrades in several counties across the Commonwealth, including Hanover, Stafford, and Spotsylvania:

• Stafford County: Brent Point Road
• Spotsylvania County: Summit Crossing Road
• Hanover County: Doswell Road and Elmont Road

There are four crossings at the focus of this funding. Each is on a two-lane roadway near the I-95 corridor between Richmond and Washington, D.C and is part of a larger rail network within Virginia and the rest of the country. Because of improvements along the Virginia Passenger Rail Authority and CSX tracks, passenger service is expected to increase over the next ten years. These particular crossing upgrades will help reduce train-vehicle collisions by preventing vehicles from going around grade crossings ahead of train traffic. 

Virginia Transportation Secretary W. Sheppard Miller III believes these are “important improvements to the best-in-class road and rail networks” and that “Rail crossing enhancements are just some of the many transportation investments we are making across the entire Commonwealth – totaling nearly $26 billion over the next six years – ranging from rural safety upgrades to game-changing mega projects that will speed commutes and fuel the engine of our economy.”

The U.S. Representative of these congressional districts, Abigail Spanberger, stated that the “project follows through on the bipartisan infrastructure law’s promises of stronger physical infrastructure, improved safety, and responsible investments in our local communities.”

To match the funds provided by the FRA, the Virginia DRPT stated that it will give $650,000 and localities will provide $150,000 to match with construction starting next year.