Idaho will receive $36 million from The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration. It's part of the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant, which aims to improve safety and allow drivers to cross railroad tracks faster.
The grant will help fund an interchange at State Highway 53 and Pleasant View Road in Hauser, close to the Washington border.
"Building a new interchange at Pleasant View Road will carry traffic over the railroad tracks without having to stop or wait for any trains," said Megan Jahns, senior public information officer at the Idaho Transportation Department.
Jahns says the crossing sees about 46 trains carrying national and regional freight daily. The Railway Administration says nationally, there are 2,000 reported highway-rail crossing collisions yearly and over 30,000 complaints of blocked crossings.
The project also plans to eliminate three intersections where drivers stop at a stop sign and check the track before driving.
"The safety benefit is incredible on this project, closing three at-grade intersections and making it so that cars don't have to make any decisions," says Jahns. "The drivers can just go over the bridge and cross the railroad without ever thinking twice about it."
Last year, the project was pushed to 2028 because of a need for more funding.
"The beauty of this grant is that it opens up our ability to build these safety improvements much quicker," says Jahns.
