FORT WORTH, Texas -- Two of the nation's largest railroads are seeking $70 million in federal stimulus money to lay tracks at the notoriously congested Tower 55 rail intersection near downtown Fort Worth, the Star-Telegram reported.
Construction of a third north-south rail line at Tower 55 would reduce diesel emissions, speed traffic flow on area roads and improve safety at railroad crossings.
Officials from Fort Worth-based BNSF and Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Railroad say that although the new track would remain private property, the project enjoys wide support from public officials.
The request for funding will likely be made within weeks by the Texas Department of Transportation or another public agency on behalf of the railroads. The project will compete with other nationally strategic rail, port and road projects for $1.5 billion in discretionary funding to be disbursed by U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
"We won't have trains sitting and people sitting and waiting for trains to get out of the way," said Nate Asplund, BNSF director of public private partnerships. "It will be a reduction in at-grade crossing delays and a definite improvement in air quality."
If the bid for federal funding is successful, it would be a rare sign of progress on Tower 55, which has been under study by regional planners for more than five years.
The intersection, which features two rail lines running east-west and two running north-south, is one of the most congested in the U.S. About 112 trains pass through the intersection each day, and trains are often queued up on side tracks across Tarrant County, their diesel engines idling, while waiting their turn to go through.
The long-term plan is to dig a trench and move one set of Tower 55 railroad tracks below the other -- but no funding sources have been identified for that $700 million-plus project.
In 2005, voters statewide agreed to create a Rail Relocation and Improvement Fund to fix rail problems in densely populated areas, but the state Legislature hasn't put any start-up money into the fund.
Tarrant County lawmakers are scrambling during the final three weeks of the legislative session to preserve an amendment placing $91 million a year for rail relocation into the state budget.
The $70 million proposal for Tower 55 is considered a short-term fix to Dallas-Fort Worth's perpetual train congestion. The railroads are already paying for the design and engineering of the proposed third line, in hopes that it could be built within three years of the money being awarded, Union Pacific spokesman Clint Schelbitzki said.
A key part of the proposal would be the construction of a third north-south rail line at Tower 55, plus an additional 9,000 feet of new track on the north and south ends of downtown. The new track would create room for more trains to cross the intersection, leaving fewer trains idling on side tracks across Tarrant County.
The additional track would add enough capacity for five to eight years of growth, Schelbitzki said.
Also included in the project would be improved railroad crossings for cars and a pedestrian overpass in a neighborhood just north of downtown, where children are known to cross the tracks on their way to Charles E. Nash Elementary School.
"We have video from a street camera showing kids walking through the trains," said Tom Shelton, a senior program manager at the North Central Texas Council of Governments, the region's official planning body. "Some of the streets have had quad gates installed at the crossings, but now we're focusing on taking care of the other streets."
One proposal is to close a Peach Street crossing and build a pedestrian crossing at Bluff or Gounah streets. City and railroad officials are still negotiating the details.
The federal stimulus funding would cover 100 percent of the project costs if the region's application were successful. The precise rules for how to apply for the funding could be released as early as next week.
The Texas Department of Transportation most likely will submit the application, officials said. City and county officials would likely submit letters of support.
"I couldn't think of a better use of stimulus money than to help us reduce congestion on this most congested rail intersection in the U.S.," Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief said.
He said he fears that hazardous materials shipments through Tower 55 could be considered a target for terrorists.
"It's not only a city issue, a county issue, a regional issue," Moncrief said. "It's a homeland security issue, and one that deserves to be fixed."
Tower 55 supporters are competing with other areas for a slice of the $1.5 billion from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds.
Amtrak will also be asked to support the project. Congestion at Tower 55 causes delays for trains heading from Fort Worth to San Antonio, Chicago and Oklahoma City.
I couldn't think of a better use of stimulus money than to help us reduce congestion."
(The preceding article by Gordon Dickson was published May 15, 2009, by the Star-Telegram.)
