City of Emporia receives more than $600,000 from federal government to assist with at

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The City of Emporia was recently informed that it has received needed funding to support work at the community's various at-grade railroad crossings.

City Manager Trey Cocking says he was informed the Federal Rail Administration had approved a recently submitted application to support planning and development for grade separation projects at the city's 12 at-grade crossings. At-grade crossings are where the railroad crosses with roadways and Cocking says the impending improvements will better help with flow for both vehicles and trains and will also make crossings much safer for residents.

Over the past 18 months, the city has had three fatal accidents occur at local rail crossings. With that in mind, Cocking says the funding comes at a very important time for the community.

Unfortunately, Cocking says it will still be quite some time before any physical work can get underway.

The recent grant announcement is just the first phase of the process as the city will now begin "extensive planning" before submitting a future application to help fund the actual improvements. The FTA grant totals approximately $630,000 with the city and Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad also contributing to the overall cost.

An exact timeline for the project is currently pending.