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The Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC) recently authorized $723,260 to fund the replacement of incandescent signal and gate-arm lamps with light-emitting diode signals and lamps at 612 Union Pacific Railroad grade crossings.

To be completed by October 2007, the project will be entirely funded through the Grade Crossing Protection Fund (GCPF), which pools state motor fuel taxes designated for railroad safety improvements.

The ICC also authorized $872,000 from the GCPF to fund 90 percent of the $1.1 million cost to install automatic warning devices and improve approaches at four UP crossings near Gorham

To be completed by April 2009, the project calls for installing automatic flashing lights, gates and bells controlled by constant warning time circuitry, and upgrading highway approach grades.

In addition, the ICC authorized the following GCPF allocations:
• $271,000 to fund 85 percent of the cost to install automatic flashing lights and gates at a UP crossing in Springfield;
• $126,000 to fund 85 percent of the cost to install automatic flashing lights and gates at an Iowa, Chicago & Eastern Railroad Corp. crossing near Mt. Carroll;
• $118,000 to fund 95 percent of the cost to install automatic warning devices at an Illinois Central Railroad (IC) crossing near Emden; and
• $117,000 to fund 85 percent of the cost to install automatic warning devices at an IC crossing in Lincoln.