WDAM-TV Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg awarded $5.39 million grant to improve downtown rail crossings
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The Hub City has been awarded a multi-million dollar federal grant to build a new route in downtown to improve safety and cut down on traffic delays at railroad crossings.
Sen. Roger Wicker, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Rep. Steven Palazzo announced the $5,397,300 grant Thursday.
According to a news release, the project will include a new downtown route along Hall Avenue with a bridge over the Canadian National north-south rail line, safety improvements and a new rail connection to a Norfolk Southern rail yard to eliminate three-point turns that can block traffic for up to 45 minutes.
“This is great news for the City of Hattiesburg and the thousands of Mississippi residents who have found themselves stuck in traffic because of a slowly moving train,” Wicker said. “This project will provide a much-needed overpass along Hall Avenue for motorists and a streamlined connection for trains that travel through the city each day. These upgrades will improve safety and reduce frustrations as the city works to make Hattiesburg a better place to live and work.”
In July, city leaders applied for more than $20 million in grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation to fund several projects.
The city was chosen for the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program award after city leaders worked with the Mississippi congressional delegation to identify funding sources for the project. Wicker, Hyde-Smith and Palazzo wrote letters of support to the Department of Transportation.
“Mayor [Toby] Barker and the city leaders worked hard to earn federal resources for a rail project that will increase public safety, improve traffic, and create a more dynamic downtown,” Hyde-Smith said. “Their plan received strong congressional delegation support because we understand the importance of this plan for the residents, businesses, and the railroad companies.”
The project’s total estimated cost is $12 million, with Hattiesburg providing a 55% match for the grant.
“This CRISI grant will reform downtown Hattiesburg’s infrastructure with a rail overpass and reduce train-related traffic delays to improve efficiency and safety for residents and visitors," Palazzo said. “For more than a century, rail lines have been the central piece of the Hub City and this appropriated funding will increase transportation certainty and reliability throughout the city.”