February 7, 2024 - TRA Newswire -

With its newly assembled Public Infrastructure and Investments team in place, BNSF Railway (BNSF) is ready to help eligible applicants apply for recently announced federal grants to improve grade crossing safety in Texas towns and cities it serves.

“Connecting and serving communities across our network has been BNSF’s priority for more than 170 years,” said French F. Thompson, BNSF General Director of Public Infrastructure and Investments. “We believe in collaborating on infrastructure projects that enhance the safety, economic, and social well-being of our communities and networks.”

BNSF will partner with local communities and public agencies to advance safety infrastructure projects across its entire 28-state network. 

As an example, In 2022, the city of Flagstaff and BNSF partnered to secure funding through the USDOT Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects (INFRA) program, part of the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) program, for the Flagstaff Downtown Mile Safety and Connectivity Improvements Project. Once complete, the project will deliver multimodal transportation safety improvements, freight and passenger rail infrastructure enhancements, walkability and pedestrian safety improvements, community connectivity improvements, and associated construction impact mitigations.

“Enhanced safety measures like pedestrian gates, signaling, signage, and multimodal pedestrian underpasses will help reduce incidents and bring awareness to the community about the importance of railroad safety,” said Christine Cameron, senior project manager of capital improvements for the city of Flagstaff. “We wouldn’t have been able to make this project happen without BNSF coming to the table and utilizing their grant expertise to gain funding for a mutually beneficial project that connects our city’s neighborhoods.”

BNSF assists its partners in identifying available funding opportunities and helping navigate the process to apply for grant funding on networks that interface with the BNSF network. The BNSF Public Infrastructure and Investments team said they are available to assist with project identification, the grant writing process, and solicitation of letters of support to highlight the project’s importance.

BNSF has recently launched a Public Projects and Public Infrastructure and Investments page here, or you can reach out to grantsupport@bnsf.com for more information.

Photo credit: BNSF Railway