Five rail projects among those selected for Department of Transportation INFRA grants
A total of 24 projects to receive more than $905 in funding
WASHINGTON — Five rail-related projects are among 24 selected to receive $905.25 million in federal grants under the fiscal 2021 Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program.
The announcement of the proposed awards begins a 60-day period for Congress to review the proposed awards; after that review period, the U.S. Department of Transportation is free to begin awarding funds.
“These timely investments in our infrastructure will create jobs and support regional economies, while helping to spur innovation, confront climate change, and address inequities across the country,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a press release.
The proposed awards were selected from 157 applicants from 42 states, under criteria including consideration of impact on local economies, as well as climate change, environmental, and racial-equality factors. Rural areas were prioritized and will receive approximately 44% of the funding.
Rail and rail-related projects selected are:
Georgia: $46,868,000 toward a $156.2 million project to build a new inland port in Hall County, near Gainsveille, Ga., that will be linked to the port of Savannah by a 324-mile rail haul. The 104-acre facility will include six tracks totaling 18,000 feet connecting to Norfolk Southern. The inland port will replace either a 300-mile haul by truck to the port or current rail service to Atlanta which also requires 70 miles by truck
South Carolina: $25 million for an estimated $131.5 million project to build 22.7 miles of a new line for the state-owned Palmetto Railways, connecting the Camp Hall Commerce Park in Ridgeville, S.C., north of Charleston, to the CSX main line. The project will support service to and from a Volvo auto plant, and has $10 million in funding from CSX and $6 million from Volvo.
Illinois: $19, 137,780 for grade crossing separation of Archer Avenue and the Belt Railway of Chicago tracks, a $50 million project considered “911 critical” to allow for emergency services and increase freight-movement efficiency. The street will be lowered by 15 feet with the rail line crossing on a new bridge. The project will also accommodate future bicycle lanes and install an ADA-compliant sidewalk.
New Jersey: $9 million to the Port of Salem for a $24.2 million project which will extend a berth from 150 to 500 feet, and allow for refurbishment of a multimodal rail connection. The project will allow concrete and sand to be moved to New York City by barge rather than truck, and allow the port to handle ships involved in manufacture and transport of large wind-energy components.
Iowa: $5 million for an $$11.4 million project to improve the Port of Dubuque’s Gavilon port and rail facility at Dove Harbor terminal. The project includes renovation of a fertilizer storage shed, replacement and upgrading of 7,000 feet of currently inoperable track, addition of 2,800 feet of track to support transloading from barge to rail, and other infrastructure improvements.
