FRA Awards $5.3B for Rail Crossings, Track Upgrades in 23 States
The Federal Railroad Administration is distributing $5.3 billion across 23 states for passenger rail projects, including grade crossing closures and infrastructure upgrades, Construction Dive reports, citing an Aug. 14 Department of Transportation release.
Market Impact
The funding, authorized under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will close more than 30 grade crossings and upgrade over 1,000 others with new infrastructure and technology, according to the DOT announcement. About $2.2 billion is earmarked for Amtrak equipment purchases, and roughly $2 billion of the package comes from funds previously allocated to California’s high-speed rail project, from which the Trump administration withdrew federal support.
The DOT is prioritizing “high-risk” crossings, defined as sections with three or more documented accidents or two or more fatal incidents in the past five years. Grade crossings rank as the second leading cause of rail-related deaths in the US, according to the release. Demand for the money far outstripped supply: the FRA received 103 eligible applications from 78 entities requesting a combined $11.7 billion, more than double what was available.
Major awards include $356 million to Florida DOT for repairs at up to 910 highway-rail crossings, $299 million to North Carolina DOT to eliminate nine crossings and install double track segments, and $189 million to Texas DOT to eliminate nine crossings in Dallas, Fort Worth and Terrell. Hays County, Texas, separately received $39 million to build a grade-separated bridge. Fairfield, Ohio, got $40 million to close two crossings and build a new bridge, while New Orleans received $2.5 million for repairs to 70-year-old platforms and canopies at Union Passenger Terminal. Crete, Nebraska, was awarded $1.1 million just to study eight existing crossings for future work.
What It Means for Subcontractors
- Civil and heavy-highway contractors in Texas should watch Dallas, Fort Worth and Terrell, where TxDOT’s $189 million award covers nine crossing eliminations, plus a separate $39 million Hays County bridge project that’s further along in scope definition.
- North Carolina DOT’s $299 million award for nine crossing eliminations and double-track installation signals near-term bid packages for trackwork, grading and structural subs, since the funding covers construction, not just planning.
- Florida DOT’s $356 million “good repair” award spans up to 910 crossings statewide, a large volume of smaller signal, paving and drainage subcontracts likely to roll out over time rather than as a single mobilization.
- Projects like Crete, Nebraska’s $1.1 million award are still at the study phase, meaning no construction work yet. Track FRA’s project list to distinguish shovel-ready awards (Texas, North Carolina, Ohio) from feasibility studies before bidding effort.
- Bridge and structural subs should note Fairfield, Ohio’s $40 million grade-separation project and Hays County, Texas’s $39 million bridge build, both of which replace at-grade crossings with elevated structures, a different scope than simple crossing closures.
- With 103 applications submitted for only enough funding to cover a fraction of the $11.7 billion requested, expect a second wave of similar grant competitions as agencies resubmit unfunded proposals.
