The Federal Railroad Administration recently awarded the Space Coast Transportation Planning Organization (SCTPO) a $4.9 million Rail Crossing Elimination grant.
The agency will use funding to support the final design and construction of a $6.1 million safety investment in Brevard County, Fla.
The project will enhance seven highway-railroad grade crossings with approximately 15 exit gates and two medians.
The crossings feature two quadrant gates on the approach lanes with no physical barriers on the exiting lanes. Vehicles can illegally navigate around the gates. The project will ensure physical barriers are in place to reduce safety-related violations, railway collisions, trespassing, and loss of life. The barriers also will reduce property damage caused by crashes and reduce traffic backups and grade crossing closures that result from crashes.
“At the SCTPO, safety is our top priority as we plan for tomorrow’s transportation system,” Georganna Gillette, SCTPO executive director said. “These proposed enhancements represent a significant step forward to ensure the safety of all road users, in alignment with Vision Zero goals to eliminate serious injuries and fatalities on roadways.
Gillette urges drivers to stay vigilant at rail crossings to prevent tragedies.
Brevard County, the city of Cocoa and the city of Melbourne provided the local match in the grant application.