Harris County has received up to a $2 million grant to evaluate the safety of over a dozen railroad crossings in the Houston region, one month after a student at Milby High School lost his life after being hit by a train while traveling to school.
Harris County is one of six towns or organizations that will receive a share of the more than $79 million awarded as part of a Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Friday. The FRA says the financing is part of a $1.1 billion national initiative to evaluate and upgrade over 1,000 train crossings.
The money will support Harris County’s East End Triangle Resilience Access and Improved Logistics for Safety (RAILS) Plan, the FRA announced. Milby is located in Houston’s East End, and the plan will concentrate on evaluating 14 at-grade train crossings there.
According to the FRA, the research would gather data, cooperate with emergency services, railroads, and other stakeholders, and incorporate community involvement for suggestions. Twenty percent of the grant funds must be matched by the City of Houston and Harris County.
On his journey to Milby in early December, 15-year-old Sergio Rodriguez lost his life while trying to cross the railroad tracks at 2000 Broadway St. close to Galveston Road. Union Pacific Railroad declared after his passing that it will halt train operations close to the school during student pickup and drop-off hours.
Leaders from the state and local governments also started talking about how to make Houston’s many railroad crossings, many of which are close to schools, safer. Administrators at Houston ISD also declared that they will be collaborating with the county and city to enhance safety.
Although Rodriguez’s death did not directly lead to the grant’s award, county and local officials stated that the funds will be utilized to investigate potential safety measures to avert future catastrophes.
Houston Mayor John Whitmire told Houston Public Media that he was happy the county received the funding and that elected authorities should start working on making the East End safer on the train.
“Railroads have played a critical role in Houston and Harris County’s history and remain an important part of the critical supply chain and logistics leadership role the Houston region provides for our nation,” Whitmire stated. “For far too long, the East End neighborhoods have had to bear the disproportionate burden of many railroad crossings. We must concentrate on achieving the implementation and relief that the East End is entitled to, and the City of Houston is honored to collaborate with Harris County on this important project.”
The East End is represented by Commissioner Adrian Garcia of Harris County Precinct 2, who stated that he had pushed for the award and that the neighborhood has endured too many train-related problems.
“This is exasperated when trains tend to stop for hours, causing members of the community to take unnecessary risks for fear that their schedules will be severely affected,” he stated in a statement. “Harris County is the backbone of our country, which is why I pushed for this funding, but certain towns cannot pay the price for that narrative. For the federal government’s efforts to keep our neighborhoods safer, I am thankful to President Joe Biden and Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia.
District I, which encompasses portions of the East End, is represented by Joaquin Martinez, a member of the Houston City Council. He said in a statement that the city would pay half of the 20% needed.
“The railroad companies continue to drive a significant amount of rail traffic through our area that pose a pedestrian safety concern and mobility challenge for many communities in our city, and especially those on the east side,” he stated. “Unfortunately, in the last year, we have experienced pedestrian fatalities at critical crossings near schools, and this grant funding will help us better assess and address challenges posed by railroad traffic.”
In a statement, a Union Pacific spokeswoman stated the business backed the funding.
According to the spokesman, Union Pacific firmly backed Harris County’s grant application. In our opinion, it is an essential first step toward identifying long-term fixes to enhance the public infrastructure surrounding the railroad.
The start date of the project was unclear on Friday. None of the local authorities contacted on Friday mentioned any particular county or city funding sources.
A request for comment from Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo was not immediately answered.
