WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao today announced the recipients of $248.5 million in grant funds under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, for a wide variety of state and local railroad infrastructure projects. The grants will fund 32 projects in 27 states, and will be administered by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA).

“These investments in intercity passenger and freight rail will benefit an array of rural and urban communities, make grade crossings safer, improve service reliability, and advance railroad safety technology,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao.

The Department is awarding $5,676,468 for four projects in the State of Texas as follows:

-The City of Dayton will receive up to $700,000 for the Dayton Rail Crossings Improvement Project for preliminary engineering and environmental analysis and documentation necessary to improve four at-grade crossings on Union Pacific Railroad (UP) track within the city. This work will evaluate the potential for a grade separation in an area where 16 UP trains operate daily.

-The Texas Northwestern Railway Company (TXNW) will receive up to $4,086,700 for the Etter Interchange Improvement Project which combines two adjacent, undersized four-track yards within the Fisher Yard Complex in Moore County into a single yard capable of handling longer train consists between TXNW and BNSF Railway. The project will install track capable of handling 286K rail cars and enable efficient interchange between the two railroads.

-The Texas, Gonzales, and Northern Railway (TXGN) will receive up to $223,768 for the Harwood Interchange Improvement Project which improves roughly 9,000 feet of track at the railroad’s interchange point with Union Pacific Railroad at Harwood, approximately 55 miles south of Austin. The project will also build a new siding parallel to the TXGN’s mainline running south from the interchange along with associated switch improvements and replace two small wood trestle bridges with concrete culverts.

-The Greater Southeast Management District will receive up to $666,000 for the Griggs Road and Mykawa Road Rail Safety Improvements Project for an alternatives analysis, preliminary engineering and federal environmental analysis, and documentation to grade-separate four current at-grade highway-rail crossings at the intersection of Griggs Road, Mykawa Road, and Long Drive with Union Pacific Railroad and BNSF Railway in Houston.

“These grants support the economic vitality of our nation’s rural and urban communities,” said FRA Administrator Ronald Batory. “The participation of multiple partners also demonstrates the importance these funds will have for improving safety for communities and railroads around the country.”

The Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act authorized the CRISI Program to improve the safety, efficiency, and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail systems. Rural projects, which have a minimum 25 percent funding requirement under the CRISI Program, received nearly 50 percent of the funds.