Biden-Harris Administration Announces $4.1 Million in New Rail Grants to Reduce Train-Vehicle Collisions and Blocked Railroad Crossings in the State of Wisconsin

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today announced that it has awarded more than $4.1 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding to five rail projects in Wisconsin. This funding is part of a $1.1 billion total investment to improve and study more than 1,000 highway rail crossings nationwide, and it is the largest single investment in grade crossing safety in FRA’s history. Combined with previous rail investments announced under the Biden-Harris Administration, FRA has now invested a historic $48.5 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding in more than 445 rail projects across the country and Amtrak.

Rail grants being announced today for communities in 41 states will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders. The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings—which delays drivers and emergency responders alike—greatly enhancing safety, mobility, and connectivity for local communities nationwide.  

“This Administration is tackling the issues that Americans face every day, and over the years, we have engaged with residents, community leaders, and stakeholders across the country on the issue of grade crossing safety and blocked crossings,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program funding we’re announcing today is a sweeping effort that directly supports cities, towns, and villages in every region of the country in their efforts to protect lives, prevent drivers being delayed by blocked crossings, and improve the overall quality of life for their citizens.”

Accidents at grade crossings are the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the United States, with more than 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities occurring at grade crossings each year. Furthermore, blockages resulting from slow moving or stalled trains at crossings cost time and resources for American families and may cut off access roads and delay first responders from reaching emergencies. Over the last twelve months, FRA received more than 26,000 complaints of blocked crossings through the agency’s Public Blocked Crossing Incident Reporter.

“From day one of the Biden-Harris Administration, we have committed ourselves to making rail safer for all Americas, and since President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we have made unprecedented investments to modernize and improve America’s rail networks,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose. “Today’s grants are another example of the Biden-Harris Administration reversing a half-century of federal underinvestment in America’s rail network and delivering for the American people, helping people in communities big and small get to and from their homes, schools, businesses, and workplaces safely and without delays.”

Local Projects funded by the Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program include:

City of Horicon Rail Safety Planning Project (Up to $160,000)

City of Horicon

The proposed project was selected for Project Planning and includes activities to evaluate and recommend safety improvements for five at-grade crossings in Horicon, Wisconsin. The project will evaluate the existing conditions at each crossing to determine if closure, grade separation, or upgraded signals would be the solution to address current issues at the five crossings. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will improve multimodal transportation safety and resilience during hazard events and reduce accidents and crash risks. The City of Horicon will contribute the 20 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for Planning projects and the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

Fond du Lac County Railroad Corridor Study (Up to $300,000)

Fond du Lac County

The proposed project was selected for Project Planning and includes activities to examine four at-grade crossings in Friendship and Van Dyne, Wisconsin. The project will assess various alternatives to improve the safety and mobility of each of these contiguous crossings on the Wisconsin Central corridor, and specifically the feasibility of a grade separation for the crossing at Kinker Road. In addition, this study may consider upgrades to a nearby crossing at Lone Elm Road, which are already planned by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety, as the project will improve emergency response times and eliminate vehicle conflicts with trains. Fond du Lac County will contribute the 20 percent non-Federal match. This project qualifies for the statutory set-aside for Planning projects and the statutory set-aside for projects in Rural Areas.

At the same time, FRA is announcing more than $146 million in funding bolstered by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to strengthen intercity passenger rail service on six routes across the country, helping to position newly initiated, restored, and enhanced passenger rail routes for long-term success.

Administered through FRA’s Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program, selected services benefiting from Bipartisan Infrastructure Law grants being announced today include Amtrak’s Borealis service from Chicago, Illinois, to Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota ($38.6 million).

This investment will help ensure local communities have access to new services, service enhancements, and restored service. Rail grants being announced build on passenger rail projects of national significance moving forward under the Biden-Harris Administration that will deliver the world-class passenger rail service Americans deserve. See a map that shows corridors in every region of the country identified for future federal investment here.

The full list of FY 2023-2024 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program selections can be found here. More information about the grant program is available here. 

The full list of FY 2021-2024 Restoration and Enhancement Grant Program selections can be found here. More information about the grant program is available here.