Illinois commission approves more crossing safety improvements

The Illinois Commerce Commission late last week approved several projects aimed at improving grade crossings in the state.

The slate of projects was approved alongside several others June 29.

The funded projects include:

• Norfolk Southern Railway and Illinois Central Railroad Co. (IC) will complete multiple projects designed to remedy frequent, lengthy blockages at existing crossings near the Archer Daniels Midland facility in Decatur. The work calls for the construction of a highway overpass structure over NS track at the Brush College Road crossing, the addition of a gate to the IC crossing at Faries Parkway, and the relocation and addition of a gate to the IC crossing on Harrison Avenue. The commission contributed $5 million toward the projects in addition to $15 million previously authorized in 2021, and the Federal Railroad Administration granted $16 million to the city of Decatur under the new Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program. Together, the projects cost $83.4 million;
• IC will install new automatic warning devices and improve highway approaches at the County Road 1900 East crossing near Farina. The estimated cost to design and install the devices is $378,651, with the state’s Grade Crossing Protection fund slated to cover 95% of the cost;
• CSX will install new automatic warning devices and improve highway approaches at the 1170N and the 2200E crossings near Milford. The cost for the warning devices is $872,019 with the state covering 95%, and the cost for the approach improvements is $222,900, with the state covering 100%. CSX will cover all remaining and future costs for the warning devices;
• BNSF Railway Co. will increase the vertical clearance of bridges at the Coldbrook Street/County Highway 15 and Railroad Street/County Highway 5 underpasses near Cameron. Construction and engineering for the projects will cost $717,533, with the state covering 90%. BNSF has already paid the costs for preliminary engineering of both projects; and
• Madison County will realign Lebanon Road and construct a new bridge over CSX tracks near Collinsville. The new bridge will be built in conjunction with the closure and elimination of functionally obsolete underpasses on the current Lebanon Road. The cost of the project is $20.6 million, with the state covering $15.6 million and the county responsible for all remaining project costs.