Pennsylvania Awards 25 Freight Rail Grants

A Pennsylvania transportation agency has approved $42.5 million in funding for 25 freight-rail improvement projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance and the Rail Freight Assistance programs.

The grants, which were approved by the Pennsylvania’s State Transportation Commission, will benefit projects to expand freight mobility in 23 counties.

Projects selected include:

— $7.6 million to 25 Caster Way Owner, LLC,  to construct the Berks Waste and Rail Transfer Station, which includes rail infrastructure and loading equipment.

— $5 million to Eddystone Marine and Rail Terminal Co. to rehabilitate rail infrastructure on the loop track and construct 20 unloading car spots.

— $4.3 million to the Allegheny Valley Railroad to construct three yard tracks at Verona Yard using repurposed rail from the Brilliant Branch.

— $3 million to the R.J. Corman Railroad-Pennsylvania Lines to rehabilitate approximately 20 miles of track on the Cherry Tree Subdivision and Cresson Subdivision with spot tie replacement and surfacing.

— $2.1 million to Franklin Storage to construct nearly 1,700 feet of track, a turnout, and unloading dock for a new 360,000 square foot rail-served warehouse..

— $2.1 million to the Union Railroad to replace approximately 15,000 ties in the classification and North Bessemer Yards.

— $1.8 million to Lehigh Valley Rail Management LLC to rehabilitate 860 feet of track and construct 3,500 feet of track in the Iron Hill Transload Yard.

— $1.7 million to the Pittsburgh & Ohio Central Railroad  to rehabilitate approximately 11 miles of track on the Arden Subdivision by replacing rails, ties, and track surfacing.

— $1.6 million to York Railway to rehabilitate track in the Lincoln Yard with rail and tie replacement and track surfacing.

— $1.4 million to the Aliquippa & Ohio River Railroad Company to rehabilitate approximately 11 miles of track by replacing ties and track surfacing.

— $1.4 million to Cleveland-Cliffs Steelton & Highspire Railroad to rehabilitate multiple tracks by replacing ties and rail to improve safety and efficiency.

— $1.2 million to the Cleveland-Cliffs Brandywine Valley Railroad to rehabilitate tracks and a rail scale in the Ritchey Yard.

— $1.1 million to the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad to rehabilitate three bridges and a culvert on the Pocono Mainline.

— $904,000 to M. Simon Zook Co. dba Golden Barrel to rehabilitate a rail siding, a rail scale, and construct an unloading pit and additional track.

— $904,000 to the North Shore Railroad to rehabilitate and replace rail on North Shore’s mainline.

— $837,000 to the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway to rehabilitate a 440-foot-long tunnel to improve safety and operations.

— $699,000 to Chelsea Building Products of Allegheny County to rehabilitate a rail siding and six at-grade crossings.

— $682,000 to the Western New York & Pennsylvania Railroad to rehabilitate the Kerrtown Lead track by replacing rail and ties, surfacing, and improving three grade crossings.

— $675,000 to the R.J. Corman Railroad-Lehigh Line to rehabilitate approximately 4 miles of track on the Lehigh Subdivision with spot tie replacement and surfacing.

— $669,000 to Albatross Ventures to rehabilitate trackage at the sand transload facility.

— $655,000 to Ohio Blenders dba Alfagreen Supreme to construct a rail car storage track, turnout, and unloading pit at the Mount Holly Springs facility.

— $626,000 to East Penn Railroad LLC to rehabilitate a 1,200-foot storage trackage, extend an 800-foot siding, and install an at-grade trail crossing on the Octoraro Branch.

— $477,000 to West Railcar and Fabrication LLC to rehabilitate four facility tracks and turnouts.

— $261,000 to Three Rivers Marine and Rail Terminals to rehabilitate sections of track at the Gibsonton Terminal by replacing ties and surfacing.

— $84,000 to Keystone Filler to rehabilitate siding trackage, relocate a rail scale, and stormwater management improvements.

Pa. Awards Grants for Rail Freight Projects

Twenty-four freight rail infrastructure projects will receive funding from the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission.

The agency said it will disburse $26 million in state grants ranging from $119,000 to $3 million from the Department of Transportation’s Rail Transportation Assistance Program and Rail Freight Assistance Program.

The projects to be funded are spread throughout the state. Some grants will be issued to railroad companies while other grants will go to rail shippers to expand or improve the rail infrastructure on their property.

A list of projects can be found at https://www.penndot.pa.gov/pages/all-news-details.aspx?newsid=1005

Pa. Updates 12-Year Transportation Plan

The 12-year Pennsylvania state transportation plan has been updated, the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission said this week.

The document outlines plans to improve roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads.

State officials predict $84 billion in funding will be available to fund projects over the 12-year span.

In a news release, the Commission described the plan as a multimodal, “fiscally constrained” planning tool for identifying and prioritizing the state’s transportation projects.

The plan becomes effective Oct. 1 and incorporates funding from the federal Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress in November 2021.

Pennsylvania officials anticipate funding availability of $16 billion for state highway and bridge projects, $11.4 billion for public transit, $331 million for multimodal projects, $232 million for freight rail and $168 million for aviation.

The plan was developed in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, 19 metropolitan planning organizations and an independent county.

It still must be reviewed and approved by the Federal Highway Administration and Federal Transit Administration in accordance with air quality requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Pennsylvania Updates Transportation Plan

The Pennsylvania’s State Transportation Commission said it has updated the state’s 12-year plan to make $64.8 billion available for improvements to railroads, transit systems, roads, bridges and airports.

Overseen by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the new program will become effective on Oct. 1 and anticipates the following funding availability in the first four years from federal, state and local sources:
• $11.4 billion for state highways and bridges;
• $9.4 billion for public transit;
• $321 million for multimodal projects;
• $228 million for freight rail; and
• $138 million for aviation.

The program was described by PennDOT as a multimodal tool to identify and give priority to transportation projects and the funds needed to complete them.

Under state law the program must be updated every two years.

PennDOT said public comments made during the 12-year planning process have played a key role in identifying investments in the various transportation modes.

Pennsylvania Agency OKs Transportation Plan

A new 12-year transportation plan has been adopted by the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission and it is offering $63.9 billion in funding for improvements to railroads, transit systems, roads, bridges and airports.

The new program, which is effective on Oct. 1, allocates $9.62 billion for public transit, $319 million for multimodal and $228 million for freight-rail projects during 2019 through 2022.

From 2023 through 2026, the plan calls for $8.3 billion to be available for public transit, $348 million for multimodal and $229 million for freight rail. From  2027 through 2030, the plan calls for $9.25 billion for transit, $391 million for multimodal and $229 million for freight rail.

The projects depend on the availability of funding, which state transportation officials anticipate will come from a combination of federal, state and local dollars.

State law requires the commission to review and update the 12-year program every two years. No capital project can move forward unless it is included in the program.

The plan will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for review and approval. The Federal Highway Administration coordinates with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review the plan’s conformity with air quality requirements.

Pennsylvania Funding 27 Rail Projects

The Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission this week announced funding of 27 freight-rail improvement projects.

The projects will receive $32 million through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program.

Among the projects approved were:

• R. J. Corman Railroad Group, to rehabilitate 36 miles of track including rail, ties, ballast, and track surfacing on the Clearfield Cluster’s Cherry Tree, Cresson, and Wallaceton subdivisions, $4.2 million.

• Norfolk Southern, to realign track in Middletown to provide greater clearances for freight trains and reduce track curvature, $3.9 million.

• Shell Chemical Appalachia to construct 10 miles of track from Aliquippa to Monaca to transport construction materials for Shell’s plant and outbound product from the completed plant, $3.8 million.

• Allegheny Valley Railroad, to rehabilitate 10 miles of the P&W subdivision from Bakerstown to Glenwood Yard, including replacing continuous welded rail and surfacing track, $2.9 million.

• Wheeling & Lake Erie, to rehabilitate 18 railroad bridges on the Pittsburgh and Rook subdivisions, including structural and bridge deck, $2.3 million.

• Buffalo Pittsburgh Railroad, to rehabilitate 20 miles of track between Brookville and Falls Creek, facilitating continued freight-rail service to Brookville Equipment Corp., $2.1 million.

Pa. Updates 12-Year Transportation Plan

A 12-year transportation program adopted by the State Transportation Commission of Pennsylvania calls for spending nearly $62 billion to make improvements to roads, bridges, transit systems, airports and railroads.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation said the spending in the plan is slightly less than the $63.3 billion outlined in the plan’s previous update in 2014.

“Through ongoing efficiencies at PennDOT, we continue to stretch taxpayers’ dollars to reach as many transportation needs as possible,” said PennDOT Secretary Leslie Richards. “This update reflects the progress we are making, chipping away at our large backlog of pavement and bridge needs while adding some capacity expansion to address long-standing desires for better mobility.”

The plan calls for spending $8.6 billion for public transit, $305 million for multimodal and $229 million for freight-rail projects.

Among the projects identified by the plan is replacement of the Interstate 84 bridges over the Lackawanna County Railroad and Roaring Brook in Lackawanna County, which will cost $143 million.

Under Pennsylvania law, the 12-year program must be updated every two years and no capital project can advanced unless it is part of the plan.

RBM&N Receives Grant From Pennsylvania

The Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission has awarded a $5 million grant to the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad that will be used in a $14 million bridge rebuilding project.

The Nesquehoning Bridge project in Carbon County will create a connection between two of the railroad’s divisions, thus providing a direct route between Philadelphia and Binghamton, New York.

The work will involve building a new three-span bridge over the Leigh River and installing 1,200 feet of track.

Pennsylvania OKs $36M for Rail Projects

Pennsylvania’s state transportation commission has approved $36 million in grants for 31 rail projects over the next five years.

Funding will be provided for 15 projects through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and 16 projects through the Rail Freight Assistance Program.

The projects include:

• $5 million for the Reading Blue Mountain & Northern to construct a new bridge and track across the Lehigh River.

• $3.6 million for Buffalo & Pittsburg  to rebuild Butler Yard and its tracks, restore a crossover connection and repair eight bridges on its northern subdivision.

• $3 million for CSX to construct new main lead track, crossovers, turnouts and derails to allow intermodal trains to pull off the McKees Rocks mainline to serve the Pittsburgh Intermodal Terminal.

• $3.5 million for the SEDA-COG Joint Rail Authority to upgrade five bridges and replace another.

• $3.4 million for the Union Railroad to repair and rehabilitate the East Pittsburgh viaduct, including concrete repairs, structure drainage corrections and a 1,600-foot passing siding, as well as a new walkway and handrails.

• $2 million for the Steelton & Highspire to construct and rehabilitate 13,026 track feet and 22 turnouts serving the Durabond pipe plant, Chemtron weld plant and Arcelor-Mittal’s interchange loading area, and connect track to Norfolk Southern Railway’s interchange and Steelton & Highspire Railroad’s main yard.

• $1.2 million for the Wheeling & Lake Erie to install 20 track miles of continuous welded rail on its Pittsburgh subdivision.

Pennsylvania Updates State Transportation Plan

 

Pennsylvania is gearing up to spend $63.2 billion over the next 12 years on transportation projects. Toward that end, the Pennsylvania State Transportation Commission recently updated the state’s transportation program.

The funding is being made available through the state’s Act 89 transportation plan. The projects will include improvements to railroads, roads, bridges, transit systems and airports.

An update to the state transportation two years ago envisioned spending $41.6 billion for transportation projects.
The latest transportation spending program is effective Oct. 1. Over the next four years, Pennsylvania expects to spend $12.3 billion for highway and bridge projects, $7.9 billion for public transit, $370 million for aviation, $228 million for freight railroads and $284 million for a newly-created intermodal fund.

Four rural planning organizations, 19 metropolitan planning organizations and one independent county worked with the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation to review the transportation plan update.

The update will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration for review and approval. The Federal Highway Administration will coordinate with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to review the plan’s conformity with air quality requirements.

The 14-member commission consists of 10 appointed citizens and the majority and minority chairpersons of the state House and Senate transportation committees. State law requires the commission to review and update the 12-year program every two years. No capital project can move forward unless it is included in the program.

To review the plan, go to www.dot.state.pa.us.