Feds award $73 million for bridge over congested Downriver rail crossing

Melissa Nann Burke, The Detroit News on Jan 13, 2025

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WASHINGTON ― Federal officials awarded $73.4 million to Michigan for a project that will separate a busy railroad crossing in Trenton from Fort Street or M-85, where pedestrians and drivers are often delayed by trains passing through the Downriver community.

The Federal Rail Administration said it would provide the grant to the Michigan Department of Transportation as a part of its Railroad Crossing Elimination Program under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

The total project cost is estimated at roughly $100 million to design and build an overpass or bridge for vehicles over the tracks. Michigan has committed about $15 million and the Canadian National Railroad has committed $5 million toward the project, according to MDOT.

In the area, M-85 or Fort Street runs north-south and connects much of southeast Michigan and Downriver with I-75.

The roadway's at-grade crossing with the Canadian National Railroad tracks is located just north of Van Horn Road. Ten to 12 trains cross the intersection with M-85 a day, creating "major safety concerns" in the region, according to MDOT.

The trains have impeded emergency vehicles and school busses that cross the tracks and contribute to traffic delays for commuters and other local traffic that must wait for the trains to pass before they can continue, said Michael Frezell, an MDOT spokesman.

"Any railroad crossing can be a safety concern if motorists do not abide by the lights, gates, bells and other warning systems of approaching trains," Frezell said by email. "Additionally, emergency response services to a Level II Trauma Center (less than one mile from this crossing) are significantly impacted when trains are passing."

Officials said the project would improve emergency vehicle response times, reduce vehicle idling time and eliminate train-vehicle conflicts.

In the grant application, MDOT reported that the Trenton Police Department uses the crossing 800-1,000 times a week and 25-30 of those crossings are impeded by train blockages or delays. When the crossing gates are down, police must seek alternative routes to respond to emergencies, adding up to five minutes to response times.

Similarly, the Trenton Fire Department, which operates the city’s ambulance services, uses the crossing 25 to 50 times a week to respond to emergencies and estimates four to six of those crossings are delayed by trains on the tracks, adding up to 10 minutes to emergency response times.

Final design for the project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2028, with construction anticipated to start in 2029, Frezell said. Construction is anticipated to take two years or more; however, a more detailed estimate will be known after the design phase of the project, Frezell said.

The new funding was announced last week by the office of U.S. Rep. Debbie Dingell, D-Ann Arbor.

“This has been a top priority for me since coming to Congress and has been a critical issue needing attention Downriver for decades, and building the business case has finally gotten these critical funds," Dingell said.

Trenton Mayor Steve Rzeppa called the federal grant "transformational" for Trenton and the entire Downriver area.

"Once the project is complete, obscene train delays will finally be a thing of the past for our community,” Rzeppa said in a statement.

The Federal Rail Administration last week also announced a $5.2 million grant for a Detroit project that would consolidate three Consolidated Rail Corp. at-grade tracks onto two bridges over Lonyo and Central streets.

FRA said the project aims to develop preliminary engineering documents and complete an environmental review. The Michigan Department of Transportation and Michigan Infrastructure Office will contribute the 20% non-federal matching funds.

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