USDOT releases TIGER funds for Illinois rail project

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has released $14 million in funds from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant program for the second phase of a rail improvement project in Springfield, Illinois.

The funds are from a TIGER grant to the city to construct new underpasses at Ash and Laurel streets as part of a project to improve rail and traffic safety, according to a press release issued by U.S. Reps. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) and Darin LaHood (R-Ill.).

"The completion at Ash and Laurel streets over the next three years will catapult this project forward in a positive way, improving rail service and traffic safety in Springfield," said LaHood. "The completion of these projects will also bring further economic development in downtown Springfield and the Medical District."

The TIGER funds will enable the city to begin construction work this fall on the underpasses at the 10th Street tracks, said Mayor Jim Langfelder.

"When completed, the Springfield Rail Improvements Project will save lives by reducing car-train collisions by 80 percent, reduce vehicle delays by 70 percent and eliminate train horn noise throughout the city," he said.

The overall project will allow the city to reduce the "negative impacts" of rail corridors on the city's quality of life, Langfelder added.