The City of Birmingham was recently awarded an $8 million federal Consolidated Rail and Infrastructure Safety and Improvements (CRISI) Grant through the U.S Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration. The grant will help alleviate blocked railroad crossings and improve rail infrastructure and safety in the Harris Homes Public Housing Community. The Reduce Extended Delays; Enhance Safety; and Invest in Growing Neighborhoods (R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N.) Project will receive up to $8 million in funding to improve crossings on Norfolk Southern’s rail lines.

“Norfolk Southern is committed to our communities, through the businesses we serve and the towns we call home," said Norfolk Southern President and CEO Alan H. Shaw. "Together, with the Cities of Birmingham and Trussville, we are making transportation infrastructure safer for residents, through the State of Alabama’s R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N Alabama program. This announcement is indicative of how businesses, communities, and local, state, and federal leaders can collaborate to improve safety.”

The R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N Alabama project aims to enhance community safety and accessibility to residential areas and schools by minimizing blocked train crossings while improving the efficiency of both freight and passenger rail operations. The grant funding, along with $1.5 million from Norfolk Southern and $250,000 from both the City of Trussville and the City of Birmingham will be used to address issues at a crossing on Mary Taylor Road in Trussville, crossings on Brussels Avenue (Harris Homes) in Birmingham, and other crossings in the Birmingham area.

In a press release from U.S. Representative Terri Sewell (AL-07), Sewell lauded the CRISI Grant: “This funding from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law represents a critical part of our long-term strategy to alleviate blocked railroad crossings and will go a long way in improving the quality of life for those living in and around Birmingham. Securing this funding was truly a team effort, and I want to thank the City of Birmingham and our local leaders for their hard work in developing such a strong proposal and Norfolk Southern for their significant financial commitment to this project.”

Councilor Darrell O’Quinn, who represents the Harris Homes neighborhood, celebrated the win for the residents in his community: “This is an opportunity to drastically improve the quality of life for so many of my neighbors. I’d like to take a moment and thank our partners at Norfolk Southern, who own the rail corridor in question. They have been a tremendous partner in moving this initiative forward and will be committing $1.5 million in funding to this initial planning and engineering grant. It’s the largest financial commitment they’ve made to a project of this type, ever. My office has remained in close contact with their representatives over the last several years and we could not have gotten to this point without their dedication to improve the lives of those living near their tracks.”

Read the full press release from the Birmingham City Council here.