USDOT announced 91 crossing grants on October 30
The Federal Railroad Administration selected 91 projects in 37 states for more than $1.24 billion through the fiscal-year 2025–26 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. The awards are intended to remove conflict points between trains and road users, close or improve at-grade crossings and reduce the delays and safety risks created when highway and rail traffic meet.
The portfolio includes bridges, closures and signal work
The selected projects range from planning and design to construction. Eligible work includes grade-separated overpasses or underpasses, crossing closures, track relocation and upgrades to warning devices or traffic-signal preemption. That mix matters to trucking because a bridge can remove a recurring rail delay, while better signal coordination can reduce the chance that vehicles are stopped where queues extend toward the tracks.
Several awards directly affect freight corridors
USDOT highlighted $46 million for a grade-separated overpass carrying RM 2871 over Union Pacific tracks and Aledo Road near Fort Worth, Texas; $43 million for a new overpass in Nampa, Idaho; and $72 million for the Port Authority of Kansas City to eliminate three at-grade crossings. Georgia DOT was selected for $31.7 million to improve preemption connections between railroad warning systems and traffic signals at approximately 31 high-risk crossings. These are federal award selections, and local sponsors remain responsible for delivery.
A grant award is not an open road or completed bridge
Planning, environmental review, design, property acquisition and construction can take place before a crossing improvement enters service. Some awards fund only an early phase. Drivers and dispatchers should therefore continue using current crossing controls, posted truck routes and local restrictions rather than assuming the announced project already removes a delay or changes legal access.
Construction may create short-term routing changes
When work begins, a project can introduce lane closures, temporary detours, changed turning movements, staging areas or height and weight restrictions before the long-term benefit arrives. Fleets should monitor the responsible state or local transportation agency for project schedules and verify that any detour is legal for the vehicle’s dimensions, weight and cargo. Railroad and construction instructions do not replace the driver’s duty to stop when required and never enter a crossing without enough space to clear it completely.
Driver and fleet takeaway
Identify recurring grade-crossing delays in route and detention data, then flag the funded locations that overlap your lanes for future review. Do not reroute solely from a grant announcement. Before dispatch, confirm current road status and CMV legality with the relevant state or local agency; during construction, update route notes and customer ETAs only from published operational notices. At every crossing, slow early, obey signals and gates, keep sufficient following distance, and never stop on the tracks or enter unless the entire vehicle can clear the crossing.
U.S. Department of Transportation — FY 2025–26 Railroad Crossing Elimination Grants
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