FAYETTEVILLE -- The Federal Railroad Administration has awarded the state $576,000 to identify safety improvements at eight railroad crossings in Washington County.
The study will assess eight crossings along 14 miles of tracks from Fayetteville to Springdale all owned by the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad, based in Springdale. The two cities will contribute a combined 20% of the project's funding. The study will determine whether the crossings should be closed or separated, or what safety improvements are needed if closing isn't possible.
The crossings specified in the study are all level with the road, but the surveyors may decide to build overpasses or underpasses to avoid crossing altogether. Arkansas recorded 44 highway-rail crossing accidents in 2022 according to the Railroad Administration.
Two of those incidents occurred in Washington County.
"This is the first time since I've been here that we've had the opportunity to look at safety issues with the railroad," said Patsy Christie, Springdale's planning director.
In Springdale, the study will scrutinize crossings at Randall-Wobbe Lane, Sunset Avenue, Apple Blossom Avenue and Shady Grove Road.
Christie said the crossings don't have any safety features.
Terry Gulley, with the Fayetteville Transportation Division, said Monday he didn't know enough to speak about the grant nor what crossings would be studied.
In total, A&M operates a 150-mile route from Monette, Mo., to Fort Smith, according to its website.
In Fayetteville, Assistant Fire Chief Thomas Good said most of the "bad accidents" in the city involving trains were at crossings where there were no lights and gates. However, he added that those happen infrequently nowadays, as trains generally move at about 15 mph as they come through town.
"The train moves so slow through these cities that we just don't have a whole lot of them," he said. "They're moving slow and they're loud."
Over 2,000 collisions and 30,000 blockages occurred nationwide in 2022, the agency said in a news release.
Agency Administrator Amit Bose described the grant program as a critical tool for increasing railroad safety.
"With these project selections and the many more that are to come, we will save lives and reshape infrastructure in ways that allow individuals to move through their neighborhoods seamlessly and safely," Bose said.
The grant is part of the Biden-Harris administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program will provide $570 million to pay for 63 projects in 32 states. The Associated Press reports the rail industry is relying on longer trains to cut costs; however, some trains are more than 2 miles long and can block traffic for hours.
Delays at railroad crossings also prevent first-responders from working efficiently as trains cut off access to parts of towns, said Pete Buttigieg, the U.S. transportation secretary.