Minnesota Lt. Gov. Smith promotes grade crossing project in Moorhead

Minnesota Lt. Gov. Tina Smith yesterday visited Moorhead, Minn., to make the case for a proposed $42 million grade separation project.

The intersection, which is located at Main Avenue and 21st Street, poses a daily safety risk and causes delays for residents and businesses, Smith said in a press release. Due to the layout of the streets and train tracks, it's not possible to install railroad gates at the intersection.

The Moorhead project is one of the largest included in Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton's 2016 jobs bill, which would allocate a total of $124 million for rail safety projects across the state.

Five active freight-rail lines run through Moorhead, including two at the site of intersection Smith visited. An average of 85 trains per day travelled along these five lines in 2014.

Dayton's bill includes $69.4 million for grade separations in Moorhead, Prairie Island and Coon Rapids, Minn. His proposal also calls for $5 million for the replacement of warning systems at crossings throughout Minnesota.

To learn more about how railroads are addressing safety at crossings, read this feature from the January issue of Progressive Railroading.

[Editor's note: This story has been updated since its initial posting.]