New York granted $5 million to improve rail crossings

New York State will receive around $5 million in grants to fund three projects that will enhance the safety and awareness of rail grade crossings.

The state will receive $5,162,417 of $25 million in funds from the Federal Railroad Administration. These grants will help prevent tragedies like the February 2015 Metro-North crash in Valhalla, according to Congresswoman Nita M. Lowey.

“We cannot allow one more preventable tragedy at a rail crossing in our region,” said Lowey. “The heartbreaking Metro-North crash in Valhalla and too many near misses since remind us that we must continue to work to protect families at dangerous railroad crossings throughout the Lower Hudson Valley. I”™m pleased these grants will help officials at all levels of government work together to ensure our communities are safe and secure.”

The first $1,347,500 grant will be used to add highway traffic signal pre-emption to seven crossings on Metro-North”™s Harlem and Port Jervis Lines. These will activate traffic signals at the intersections and allow queued traffic to exit onto the highway prior to the activation of the railroad grade crossing warning systems.
Recipients of this grant in New York”™s 17th Congressional District, which includes parts of Rockland and Westchester Counties, are:

Cleveland Street (Vahalla)
Lakeview Avenue (Vahalla)
Stevens Avenue (Hawthorne)
Roaring Brook Road (Chappaqua)
Washington Avenue (Sloatsburg)

As part of the second round of funding, the Virginia Road crossing in North White Plains will receive part of a $1,904,132 grant to improve the roadway, pavement markings, and signage.

Finally, the third grant will provide $1,910,785 to install CCTV cameras to record movements at 43 grade crossings within Metro”North territory to investigate specific incidents and analyze crossing and traffic operations.

Recipients in New York”™s 17th Congressional District are: