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1/19/2023
The Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) has completed its first project funded in part by a federal Consolidated of Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) program grant.
Funded by a $2 million CRISI grant awarded in 2018, the project involved upgrading track along 138 miles of the Heart of Georgia Railroad (HOG), GDOT officials said in a press release. GDOT contributed $2 million in bond funds to the project's cost.
Begun in July 2020, the project called for track and rail bridge upgrades to support 286,000-pound rail cars and the elimination of slow orders on portions of the track.
The work is part of a larger-scale project to upgrade the railroad as part of GDOT’s multiyear initiative to reach full 286,000-pound, Class II compliance, GDOT officials said.
A Genesee & Wyoming Inc. subsidiary, HOG runs through rural central Georgia between Preston, Vidalia and Midville, and carries agricultural, manufacturing, forestry and intermodal products to the Port of Savannah. The short line interchanges with CSX and Norfolk Southern Railway.
The federal CRISI program funds projects that improve the safety, efficiency and reliability of intercity passenger and freight rail.