Federal grants seek to eliminate rail crossings in DeKalb, Gwinnett

Efforts to eliminate rail crossings in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties will get a boost from federal grants, the Biden administration announced Monday.

Chatham County also will benefit from a Federal Railroad Administration grant. In all, Georgia will receive $3.2 million in federal funding through the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. The grants include:

$888,000 to study the feasibility of eliminating three crossings of CSX track in Gwinnett County. The crossings to be studied are at Arcado Road in Lilburn, Oak Road/Gloster Road near Lilburn and Hosea Road in Lawrenceville.

Gwinnett County will provide a 20% match for the grant.

$460,000 to convert an at-grade crossing on Constitution Road in DeKalb County to a grade-separate crossing. The crossing is near the Norfolk Southern Corp.’s Atlanta facility and is blocked by trains about 45 times a day. The money will be used to plan the grade-separation project.

DeKalb County will provide a 20% match for the grant.

$1,870,000 to develop a plan to eliminate 11 at-grade crossings on CSX and Norfolk Southern right of way. The move would allow longer trains to enter existing port facilities in Savannah, Garden City and Port Wentworth. Chatham County, CSX and the Georgia Ports Authority will provide a 60% match for the grant.

The Georgia projects were included in $570 million worth of grants the FRA announced. The grants will address more than 400 railroad crossings in 32 states.