TxDOT to receive federal funding for Dayton rail project

TxDOT is working to improve safety and ease congestion at railroad crossings after winning new federal grant funding. United States Department of Transportation announced TxDOT will receive nearly $37 million for two projects in Fort Worth and Dayton to separate railroad tracks from roadways.

The grants are funded by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Program, authorized by the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. The funding will go towards projects across the nation to help communities eliminate points where railroad tracks intersect with roadways.

“Separating railroads from vehicle traffic is one of the best ways to improve safety and ease congestion for communities,” TxDOT Rail Division Director Jeff Davis said. “Many people, including first responders, can be delayed by blocked railroad crossings, and not only can these projects avoid those delays, but they can prevent crashes between trains and vehicles.”

The proposed project in Dayton will eliminate two at-grade rail crossings along US90 at Waco Street by constructing an overpass spanning the current rail facilities. With this grant, TxDOT will receive up to $19.5 million toward the project.

The second project will support final design and construction for a four-lane grade-separated road with new multimodal shared-use bicycle and pedestrian pathways on Bonds Ranch Road in Fort Worth. TxDOT will receive up to $17.2 million to improve safety and provide transportation modal alternatives. TxDOT and the city of Fort Worth will also contribute funding to the project.

These projects will not only increase safety and ease congestion for local communities, but they will also help the flow of goods for the Texas economy and the nation.

In 2022, there were more than 2,000 highway rail-crossing collisions in the U.S. according to the Federal Railroad Association. USDOT also awarded funding to three Texas cities for rail grade separation projects, including the cities of Amarillo, San Antonio and Houston.