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Houston receives $36.9M in federal funding to address railroad issues in East End neighborhood

By Sofia Gonzalez – Reporter, Houston Business Journal
Jun 5, 2023

The city of Houston received $36.9 million in federal funds to help advance a project that will build railroad underpasses in the East End — a neighborhood that has been plagued with issues of stopped trains.

The project, known as the West Belt Improvement Project, has an overall cost of $123.6 million. The federal funds come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant program. That money will be used to advance phase one, which includes a 9,000-foot sealed corridor and a quiet zone between Runnels and Leeland streets, as well as underpasses at Commerce at Navigation and at York near McKinney.

The phase one will result in seven existing crossings being eliminated. Four at-grade crossings will be closed, and four underpasses will be constructed.

“Blocked railroad crossings are a dangerous hassle for our community. We are working every day across jurisdictions, agencies, and levels of government to make Houston safer and easier to get around,” U.S. Rep. Sylvia Garcia said in a statement.

Overall, the project will create a 14,600-foot sealed corridor along the Houston Belt & Terminal Railroad’s rail line. Once completed, the neighborhood will see improved safety and mobility of freight rail operators, vehicular traffic and non-motorized users. The project will also include new bicycle lanes and sidewalks, and it's expected to help mitigate flooding and reduce emissions.