Written by Chris McDaniel
KAWC News

YUMA — Yuma County will receive $640,000 in federal grant money to explore options to improve three railroad crossings in Yuma.

Yuma County, the City of Yuma, and the Town of Welton will contribute 20 percent of the non-federal funding.

This funding is part of more than $46 million being distributed across Arizona through the bipartisan Infrastructure Act to support rail safety infrastructure projects on Yuma, Marana, Gilbert, and Hualapai tribal lands.

The funding is part of the Removal of Railroad Crossings (RCE) grant program, which will remove and renovate aging railroad crossings to increase safety, reduce congestion, and improve the movement of goods and people across the state. used for

Safe and efficient transportation is critical to Arizona’s communities and economy,” said Senator Kelly. “This funding to renovate old railroad crossings will protect motorists, improve the movement of goods and people, create jobs and ensure a safer and more reliable transportation system for everyone.”

In Yuma County, the project will seek workable solutions and develop design concepts to eliminate these intersections over Union Pacific tracks at Avenue 9E, Fortuna Road, and County 29E.

This project is consistent with the selection criteria with enhanced safety, as it eliminates overpasses, improves reliability and improves maneuverability for emergency responders.

“Unsafe railroads threaten the livelihoods of Arizona residents and businesses alike,” said Sen. Gallego. “Thanks to bipartisan infrastructure legislation, this grant will help keep our economy moving by making our railroads safer and protecting the communities they pass through.”