The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently awarded RJ Corman Railroad Co. a $7.4 million Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant.
Funding will go toward the $12 million Bluegrass Multimodal Freight Improvement Project that will improve rail safety and efficiency. RJ Corman will provide a 40 percent match.
Work will include the rehabilitation of track on the mainline between Frankfort and Lexington, improvements to the company’s main yard and transload facility in Lexington, and construction of a rail-to-truck transload facility in Frankfort.
Main yard improvements include rehabilitated crossings and track, switch replacements, paving truck and traffic areas, and expanded transload storage pads.
The transload facility will divert 139,000 truckloads of cargo from Interstate 64 and local roads over the next 20 to 30 years, according to RJ Corman estimates.
“Moving these materials by rail instead of truck will yield safer, more efficient and greener transportation,” KYTC Kentucky Transportation Cabinet Secretary Jim Gray said. “The entire project is a significant, environmentally friendly investment in central Kentucky’s rail infrastructure. It will pay regional economic dividends for years to come.”
Changes are designed specifically support Nugent Sand Co. and Washington Penn Plastic Co., but will benefit many businesses and industries in the region, RJ Corman said.