WA Communities Get $104M to Eliminate or Modernize Railroad Crossings
City of Blaine to get $66M to eliminate busy Bell Road crossing; Port of Longview to get $26M to build overpass to improve freight traffic flow; Pend Orielle, Mount Vernon, Ellensburg, and Kennewick also receive funds
EDMONDS, WA – Today U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and senior member of the Senate Finance Committee announced six grants totaling $104,961,713 for at-grade railroad crossing separation and improvement projects in Washington state.
The grants were awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. Sen. Cantwell authored this program and shepherded its passage through Congress as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
Here’s a breakdown of today’s grant announcements:
The City of Blaine will receive $66,377,179 to close one existing at-grade crossing and construct a grade separation south of the existing at-grade crossing at Bell Road in Blaine, Washington. The project will construct a new roundabout, a new roadway alignment, local access, proposed improvements to the highway interchange, extension to the adjacent multimodal pathway, and related infrastructure necessary to safely close the existing crossing and maintain roadway circulation. The project will reduce occupied crossings due to slow-moving freight trains, eliminate conflict between roadway users and rail operations, and enhance safety for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists.
“For two decades, trains at this border inspection site between Seattle and Vancouver have left school buses, first responders, and freight trucks stuck in traffic that backs up onto I-5. This project will replace the Bell Road crossing with a grade-separated roadway, improving safety for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists while keeping freight and passengers moving,” Sen. Cantwell said.
The Port of Longview will receive $26,064,534 to construct an overpass at the Port of Longview's primary access corridor over International Way, thus eliminating the possibility of roadway-rail conflict and ending delays due to blockage by trains.
“The Port of Longview supports more than 13,000 jobs, but its primary access corridor International Way is frequently blocked by trains, with as many as 130 vehicles backed up at a time. This overpass will eliminate that conflict between road and rail, keeping emergency responders and freight moving and paying dividends for workers and shippers across Southwest Washington,” Sen. Cantwell said.
“The Port of Longview has done great work to ensure our public assets are economic engines for our communities. I’m proud to have fought to bring back $26 million for the Port’s much needed new overpass. By keeping our ports moving safely and efficiently, we’re supporting the nuts and bolts of local maritime service,” said U.S. Representative Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D, WA-03). “It’s these kinds of safety improvements and infrastructure investments that keep our communities thriving and ensure we have good jobs that support families and put food on the table.” Rep. Gluesenkamp Perez wrote a letter of support for the project.
The Port of Pend Oreille - Pend Oreille Valley Railroad (POVA) will receive $8,920,000 for a corridor-wide highway-rail grade crossing safety and modernization program that would modernize and rehabilitate highway-rail grade crossing infrastructure along the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad in Usk.
“This investment will modernize and rehabilitate crossings along the Pend Oreille Valley Railroad corridor, making travel safer and faster for people and goods across northeast Washington,” Sen. Cantwell said.
The City of Mount Vernon will receive $2,320,000 to support the examination of eight highway-rail at-grade crossings along a segment of the BNSF Bellingham Subdivision main line within the city’s central business district core. The proposed study will examine the potential for grade separation for two of the eight at-grade rail crossings and safety upgrades of the other six crossings.
“Since 2023, four collisions have occurred along the BNSF tracks running through downtown Mount Vernon, three of them fatal. This study is the first step toward identifying solutions for grade separations and safety upgrades that will protect residents, speed up emergency response, and keep freight and passenger trains moving,” Sen. Cantwell said.
The City of Ellensburg will receive $800,000 to support planning activities to eliminate an at-grade rail crossing at Umptanum Road.
“As Ellensburg and the Kittitas Valley grow, getting vehicles, freight, and people across the BNSF tracks at Umptanum Road matters more every year. This planning grant is the first step toward eliminating the crossing and making travel safer for drivers, truckers, cyclists, and pedestrians,” Sen. Cantwell said.
The City of Kennewick will receive $480,000 to evaluate multiple at-grade rail crossings in downtown and central Kennewick, Washington. The project will analyze existing city street conflicts, blocked crossing impacts, emergency response delays, multimodal mobility constraints, and future grade separation or crossing reduction opportunities at twelve existing at-grade crossing locations involving BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad facilities.
“Blocked crossings in downtown and central Kennewick delay emergency response and prevent drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians from getting where they need to go. This study will examine all twelve at-grade crossings along the BNSF and Union Pacific lines to identify where grade separations or crossing reductions would make the Tri-Cities safer and better connected,” Sen. Cantwell said.
In April 2021, Sen. Cantwell introduced legislation to establish the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program to help states, cities, and tribes plan and construct grade crossing separation and improvement projects. In June 2021, Sen. Cantwell led the legislation through the Commerce Committee as part of the Surface Transportation Investment Act of 2021. This legislation was included in the November 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which provided $3 billion over 5 years for this program.
Sen. Cantwell has been a leading and vocal advocate for at-grade rail crossing reform and safety. In March of 2021, she released a report studying and assessing safety and efficiency concerns at at-grade railroad crossings, finding current federal programs are not sufficient to address these pressing issues of safety and congestion.
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