ATLANTA — Editor's Note: The above video is from a previous version of this story.
The Peach State is getting federal funds to address an issue that has been wreaking havoc in some metro Atlanta communities.
Officials with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Railroad Administration announced Monday that they will be awarding $3.2 million for some of Georgia's railroad projects, according to a press release.
Georgia is just one of 32 states receiving the grant money to combat the nationwide issue.
Those projects include making it easier to get around railroad tracks and improving crossings where trains and roads intersect -- an issue some metro Atlanta residents have been complaining about for decades.
Concerned neighbors have complained about CSX trains blocking intersections for days. The blockages have been impacting the traffic in the area and older adults in their communities. Some residents even complained that responders cannot get to them in the event of emergencies.
"The blockages really impact our elderly, our seniors in this community," Tim Brown, a concerned neighbor near the area of Ezra Church Drive NW and Chappell Road NW, explained. "It's not just about traffic but access to emergency vehicles such as fire trucks and police cars."
The funding comes after an Atlanta city councilwoman introduced legislation to hold CSX, a major railroad transportation company, accountable.
According to the FRA, there were more than 2,000 highway-rail crossing collisions and over 30,000 reports of blocked crossings in the country last year.
"Every year, commuters, residents, and first responders lose valuable time waiting at blocked railroad crossings – and worse, those crossings are too often the site of collisions that could be prevented,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Here's what areas in Georgia will be awarded the grant money:
- Chatham Multimodal Community Improvement Project -- which will improve access to the Port of Savannah, allow the operation of longer trains and improve mobility for residents in the area by removing rail lines that bisect neighborhoods. The FRA is giving this project $1.8 million in federal funds.
- Conversion of At-Grade Crossing on Constitution Road to Grade Separated Crossing -- a project that will create an interchange to address the blockages at Constitution Road in DeKalb County. Nearly half a million dollars will be used to address this issue.
- Feasibility Study for Railroad Crossing Elimination - the project will help determine feasible construction on three CSX train crossing in Gwinnett County. The FRA will award $888,000 in federal funds.
“With these project selections and the many more that are to come, we will save lives and reshape infrastructure in ways that allow individuals to move through their neighborhoods seamlessly and safely,” said FRA Administrator Amit Bose.
It's a problem 11Alive has been digging into for months. Trains block roads for minutes, hours and sometimes days here in Atlanta and across the state. Our investigation found it's only getting worse.
There were 131 train complaints in 2020. In 2021 that jumped to 471. This year, we're already at 384 complaints in Georgia. That's quadruple this same time last year.
More federal funding is expected each year over the next four years to help states improve their railroad safety and expand the network, officials said.
The department said more additional information about the funding will be announced in the coming months.
To learn more about the federal funds click here.