(The Center Square) – Ohio plans to spend $100 million to fix some of the 5,700 dangerous railroad crossings across the state.
The money is expected to go to local communities for engineering work to eliminate the crossings and for matching funds for more money from the Federal Railroad Administration.
“To compete for federal grants, communities need the resources to develop the projects, prepare federal applications, and commit matching funds to make Ohio’s grant applications competitive,” Gov. Mike DeWine said. “Railroad grade projects can be complex and expensive, and without state assistance, most communities do not have the resources to develop them. This program will provide support to get these projects moving in the right direction.”
The Ohio Rail Commission considers all 5,700 crossings in the state potentially dangerous, and Public Information Officer Wende Jourdan said the only way to prevent train-vehicle crashes is to separate the roadway from the railway.
According to the commission, how many crossings can be addressed won’t be known until the scope and complexity of the projects are determined.
The state also considers rail crossings a safety hazard and a traffic issue, especially for emergency vehicles.
Since the Federal Railroad Administration began collecting blocked crossing data in late 2019, more than 10,500 reports of blocked crossings in Ohio have been filed.
“Eliminating grade crossings has a ripple effect on safety for motorists, train operators, and first responders who are often delayed by blocked crossings. We’ll work with local communities in Ohio to ensure we maximize federal investment in Ohio,” Scott Corbitt, chair of the Ohio Rail Development Commission, said.
The commission plans to select the best local projects for federal funding and help with the federal grant application process.
