Chelan, Kent, Monroe, & Aberdeen receive additional $4.47m for safety improvements, feasibility studies to remove highway-railroad crossings
DOT grants from Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant program, established in 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Patty Murray (D-WA), Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, and Maria Cantwell (D-WA), ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, and U.S. Representatives Rick Larsen (WA, D-02), ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and Suzan DelBene (WA, D-01) announced that the City of Everett will receive an $18.09 million grant to eliminate a highway-railroad crossing. Chelan County will also receive $1.51 million for safety upgrades at the Malaga Waterfront Park crossing, and three additional communities across the State of Washington will receive a total of $2.96 million to study options for eliminating highway-railroad crossings. The grants come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which was part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I’m excited to bring home these federal dollars from the spending bills I negotiated into law—these awards will make railway crossings safer across Washington state, helping people and goods to get where they need to go, reducing pollution, and saving people precious time that would otherwise be spent stuck in traffic. I’ll always fight to make sure Washington state gets its fair share of federal funding from the laws we pass in Congress, and that money goes out the door to projects that will make the biggest difference in our communities,” Sen. Murray said.
“At-grade rail crossings bisect communities, separate whole neighborhoods from emergency services, and delay people and goods from getting where they need to go. With freight rail traffic expected to grow 44 percent by 2050, these investments will help local governments across the State of Washington unblock these crossings,” Sen. Cantwell said.
The grants announced today included $18.09 million for the City of Everett’s Smith Island Safety: Grade Crossings Elimination and Highway Connections Project. The project will create a new overpass over the BNSF mainline, close the two existing crossings at 36th Plane NE and 32nd Ave NE, and build a new integrated roundabout. This will eliminate a bottleneck for trucks seeking to get in and out of Smith lsland when the crossings are blocked by freight trains. A group of private project partners and local businesses will contribute the 22% non-federal match. Sen. Cantwell, Sen. Murray, and Rep. DelBene joined a letter of support for the project led by Rep. Larsen in October 2024.
“This award is a big deal for the City of Everett—it will mean safer streets, improved access for emergency vehicles, and less congestion and pollution at two busy railroad crossings. I’m glad to see this federal funding from the spending bills I negotiated going out the door to advance commonsense projects that will make our roads safer and more efficient for everyone,” Sen. Murray said.
“Over 1,800 freight trucks cross the railroad tracks coming in and out of the Smith Island Terminals every day – and are slowed down by crossings blocked by trains for over two hours each day. By eliminating this congestion, concrete, topsoil, and lumber made here in Washington will be able to get to market without delay, supporting the local economy,” Sen. Cantwell said.
“Thanks to the hard work of Mayor Franklin and the Everett business community, Everett has the funding it needs to improve safety and reduce congestion and pollution at two busy railroad crossings in the city,” said Larsen, who led a letter to FRA Administrator Amit Bose in support of Everett’s grant application. “Once completed, these improvements will make it easier and safer for first responders to address emergencies, commuters to get to and from jobs and school, and trucks and trains to transport goods to market and keep the economy moving in Northwest Washington,” Rep. Larsen said.
“These federal investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law will help improve safety at railroad and roadway intersections in Snohomish County and across Washington, marking a significant step forward for our communities. By reducing traffic delays, improving emergency response times, and enhancing safety for pedestrians, drivers, and rail workers alike we will see a real difference in Everett and Monroe,” Rep. DelBene said.
Additionally, the following communities across the State of Washington received grants:
- $2.4 million for the City of Kent’s WA-BNSF Railway Corridor Crossing Safety Study: The project will study safety issues at eight existing BNSF at-grade railroad crossings in Kent. The project will outline potential alternatives to improve mobility and safety on a busy rail corridor. The City of Kent, BNSF, Amtrak, and Sound Transit will contribute the 20% non-federal match.
- $1,517,540 for Chelan County’s Malaga Waterfront Park Grade Crossing Improvements: The project will improve the at-grade crossing on West Malaga Road in Chelan County by installing active warning devices, a pathway-rail grade crossing, roadway profile improvements, grade crossing panels, thermoplastic railroad crossing pavement markings, striping and signage, and an acceleration lane onto Malaga-Alcoa Highway. This project will reduce incidents at a crossing where vehicular traffic is estimated to increase. Chelan County will contribute the 20% non-federal match. Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter of support for the project in November 2024.
- $320,000 for the City of Monroe’s Feasibility Study for Railroad Crossing Elimination: The project will study five at-grade crossings along BNSF Railway’s rail line to determine if they should be grade separated, closed, or if other safety improvements should be pursued. The City of Monroe will contribute the 20% non-federal match. Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter of support for the project in November 2024.
- $240,000 for the Aberdeen Railroad Corridor Crossing Elimination and Safety Improvement Study: The project will study the feasibility of improving at least six crossings to suggest improvements in Aberdeen. The project will analyze current conditions and analyze alternative improvements. The City of Aberdeen will contribute the 20% non-federal match.
Sen. Murray played a key role in passing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law as then-Assistant Majority Leader, and has announced tens of millions in federal funding for infrastructure improvements all across Washington state as a result of the law. As the top Democrat on the powerful appropriations committee and former chair of the Transportation appropriations subcommittee, Sen. Murray has fought year after year to boost investments in our nation’s transportation infrastructure. Notably, Sen. Murray secured a total of $2.97 billion for the Federal Railroad Administration in the fiscal year (FY) 2024 government funding bill she negotiated and passed into law. Sen. Murray also passed into law major reforms and oversight provisions to address the rail safety deficiencies identified in the East Palestine, Ohio, train derailment—providing a $27.3 million increase for FRA’s safety and operations budget for rail safety inspectors in the FY 2024 government funding bills. Sen. Murray is currently negotiating and working to pass into law Fiscal Year 2025 funding bills, and the Senate funding bill Sen. Murray passed out of committee builds on these efforts to improve rail safety and strengthen rail safety funding.
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