New grant money should make railroad crossings safer and more convenient

Washington state is getting grant money to try to make train crossings safer and more convenient. Monday, the White House announced improvement grants totaling more than $570 million nationwide.

If you’ve ever been stuck waiting for a train to go by, you know it can cost you precious time. Some people who live near rail crossings said the wait has been minutes and in some cases hours, but their concerns go deeper.

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“It’s dangerous,” Robert Williams said.

“It’s not just about traffic, but access to emergency vehicles, such as fire trucks, police cars and ambulance,” Tim Brown added.

Data shows there were more 2,000 collisions at rail crossings just last year. On top of that, there were more than 30,000 reports of blocked crossings — and those are just the ones people formally complained about.

The White House said the new grant funding will help at spots where tracks cross roads and trains have blocked traffic, led to collisions and prevented first responders from reaching emergencies.

This program will build or upgrade the infrastructure in these places. It’s the first-ever dedicated grant program for this kind of work.

“It’s kind of about time,” said Jim Mathews, President and CEO of the Rail Passengers Association. “These are well-known technologies. Some of this is stuff that’s 100 years old. We just have to take care of the problem and spend the money.”

The first round funds projects in 32 states, including Washington, which has been awarded nearly $44.5 million.

“It’s great to see this list of projects and really, this is going to save lives in a direct and meaningful way,” Mathews added.

Over the next four years, the federal government will make the grant for this program available every year.

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