Railroad Crossing Elimination Grants: FRA Awards $1.24B, $107.7M to New York

The Federal Railroad Administration has selected 91 projects in 37 states for about $1.24 billion through its FY 2025-26 Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced October 30, 2026 (U.S. DOT). The largest construction-stage award is $107.7 million to the New York State Department of Transportation for a new Roaring Brook Road overpass in New Castle, Westchester County (ENR).

What Happened

The Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) program funds work that removes conflict points between highways and rail lines, closes at-grade crossings, and upgrades railroad traffic signals (U.S. DOT). FRA evaluates applications on project readiness, technical merit and project benefits, and applicants can request money for any project stage, from planning and design through environmental review and construction (Progressive Railroading).

DOT said the round builds on a separate $2.3 billion Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements award for 105 projects in 45 states and the District of Columbia, and that the department has invested nearly $10 billion in rail this year (U.S. DOT).

The last time WCG covered a major FRA crossing package, the focus was Florida, in Florida Lands $416M in Federal Rail Funds for 910 Grade Crossings and a Brightline Cocoa Station. None of the coverage of this RCE round identified a Florida project among the selections reviewed.

New York's Roaring Brook Road Overpass

The $107.7 million selection for NYSDOT covers final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction of an overpass carrying Roaring Brook Road over Metro-North Railroad's Harlem Line in New Castle (ENR). Progressive Railroading listed it first among the round's top recipients (Progressive Railroading). ENR reported that the project had previously received $2.6 million from FRA for preliminary engineering and environmental work (ENR).

No construction schedule for the New Castle overpass was reported in the coverage reviewed. Grade separations over active commuter lines typically involve railroad coordination, track protection and staged traffic control, so contractors interested in the work should watch NYSDOT's letting schedule for the procurement.

Only 37 Selections Include Construction

An ENR analysis of the selection list found that 37 of the 91 projects, about 41%, explicitly include construction in their federally funded scope. Those 37 account for nearly 90% of the money. The other 54 stop at planning, project development or final design (ENR).

ENR counted a project as construction-stage only when FRA listed construction among its funded lifecycle stages. Because FRA does not break out spending by stage, the 90% figure does not mean that share goes only to physical construction, and some construction-stage awards also pay for design (ENR).

Other selections highlighted by DOT, ENR and Progressive Railroading include:

• Burlingame, California: $90.4 million for Caltrain's Broadway Grade Separation, part of an estimated $662 million project that could start construction as early as November 2028, pending remaining funding (ENR).
• Kansas City, Missouri: $72 million to the Port Authority of Kansas City to eliminate three at-grade crossings (U.S. DOT).
• Blaine, Washington: $66.4 million to close a grade crossing, build a grade separation and make related road improvements (Progressive Railroading).
• Clovis, New Mexico: $65.2 million for one grade separation and safety improvements at another crossing (Progressive Railroading).
• Rankin County, Mississippi: $56.2 million for a Mississippi Highway 18 bridge over CPKC's Meridian Speedway (ENR).
• Fort Worth, Texas: $46 million for an overpass carrying RM 2871 over Union Pacific rail and Aledo Road (U.S. DOT).
• Nampa, Idaho: $43 million for the Robinson Road overpass, with construction not expected until early 2030 (ENR).
• Georgia: $31.7 million for railroad preemption upgrades at about 31 high-risk crossings (U.S. DOT).

Where Things Stand

A selection is not a signed grant agreement. ENR noted that selection does not guarantee an executed contract, full project funding or near-term procurement, and FRA did not answer ENR's question about how many construction-stage projects will reach procurement within 18 months (ENR). Several of the projects ENR tracked have construction windows that run from 2028 to 2032 (ENR).

Implications for Owners, Developers, Contractors and Subs

• Heavy civil and bridge contractors: The construction-stage awards represent most of the dollars, but many are years from bid. Tracking each owner's design milestones is more useful than reacting to the announcement itself.
• Design and planning firms: The 54 planning and design selections are nearer-term work and often lead to future construction applications (ENR).
• Railroad-adjacent industrial owners: Crossing closures and grade separations can change truck routes and site access near plants and distribution centers. Owners near selected corridors should follow local design hearings.
• Subcontractors: Signal, electrical, utility relocation and precast suppliers stand to see steady work from preemption upgrades and overpass projects as they move forward.

New York's rail program has been active at the state level as well, including freight rail work in the Finger Lakes covered in New York's $20.4 Million Freight Rail Investment in the Finger Lakes.

What to Watch

• Grant agreement execution between FRA and NYSDOT for the Roaring Brook Road overpass.
• Design progress and any bid date for the New Castle project.
• The full FRA selection list, which may show additional New York and Florida planning awards beyond those reported.

Bottom Line

The $1.24 billion Railroad Crossing Elimination round is a significant pool of rail safety money, and New York holds its single largest construction award. But only 37 of the 91 selections fund construction, and many of those are years away from bidding. For contractors, this is pipeline information, not immediate work.

Key Questions

How much did FRA award in Railroad Crossing Elimination grants in 2026?

The Federal Railroad Administration selected 91 projects in 37 states for about $1.24 billion under the FY 2025-26 Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program, announced October 30, 2026 (U.S. DOT).

What New York project received a Railroad Crossing Elimination grant?

NYSDOT received $107.7 million for final design, right-of-way and construction of a Roaring Brook Road overpass over Metro-North's Harlem Line in New Castle, the largest construction-stage selection in the round (ENR).

How many Railroad Crossing Elimination projects include construction?

ENR found that 37 of the 91 selections explicitly include construction, and those 37 account for nearly 90% of the $1.24 billion. The remaining 54 cover planning, project development or final design (ENR).

When will construction start on the Roaring Brook Road overpass?

A construction start date for NYSDOT's Roaring Brook Road overpass in New Castle has not been disclosed in the coverage of the award (ENR).

Related Coverage

• Florida Lands $416M in Federal Rail Funds for 910 Grade Crossings and a Brightline Cocoa Station
• FRA Opens $2 Billion in Rail Infrastructure Grants: Here's What's at Stake for Freight and Passenger Corridors
• New York's $20.4 Million Freight Rail Investment in the Finger Lakes: Six Projects, Two Bridge Replacements, and a Fight to Save the Arcade and Attica

Image credit: Caltrain (rendering of the Broadway Grade Separation). Image from the source article, ENR.

Sources

• U.S. Department of Transportation, “Golden Age of Rail: Trump’s Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy Invests Over $1.24 Billion into Safety Upgrades Across America’s Rail System”: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/golden-age-rail-trumps-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-invests-over-124-billion
• ENR, “$1.2B Rail Funding Package Covers 91 Crossing Projects; Only 37 Include Construction”: https://www.enr.com/articles/64125-12b-rail-funding-package-covers-91-crossing-projects-only-37-include-construction
• Progressive Railroading, “FRA issues $1.24B for grade crossing elimination projects”: https://www.progressiverailroading.com/security/news/FRA-issues-124B-for-grade-crossing-elimination-projects--78063