Obituaries

Study to look at train crossing in Merrill

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration has awarded over $15 million to three rail projects in Iowa as part of a massive $1.1 billion Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. This represents the largest investment in grade crossing safety in the agency’s history.

The funding will help build railroad overpasses and underpasses, upgrade safety measures, and create safer communities for pedestrians, motorists, and rail workers. Notably, these new structures will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and road users, preventing delays for drivers and emergency responders.

Accidents at grade crossings are a significant concern in the U.S., with over 2,000 incidents and 200 fatalities each year. Additionally, blocked crossings due to slow-moving or stalled trains cause major delays for American families and first responders, with more than 26,000 complaints filed in the past year alone.

The funded projects in Iowa include:

  • Merrill Grade Crossings Study: A $540,000 project to evaluate highway-rail grade crossing safety and plan a potential grade separation in Merrill, enhancing safety and traffic flow. According to available information, there are only a very small number of rail crossings in Iowa that intersect with a 4-lane highway at grade, with some sources mentioning the Merrill railroad crossing as potentially the last one in the state. The Iowa Department of Transportation and BNSF are partners in this project.
  • Clay County Crossing Elimination: A $3.28 million project to remove an at-grade crossing and construct a high-level grade separation, improving safety and emergency response. Clay County and Canadian Pacific Kansas City are contributing to this effort.
  • The third project in Iowa that received funding as a part of this grant is in Polk County.
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