title
PROPOSED GRANT AWARD
Department: Transportation and Highways
Grantee: Cook County
Grantor: Federal Railroad Administration
Request: Authorization to accept grant
Purpose: DOTH received up to $2,888,000 in federal funds to address significant safety concerns that prevent pedestrians from gaining access to the Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) rail lines near roadway crossings between Berwyn and La Grange.
The proposed safety improvements include adding approximately 18,300 linear feet of new fencing across 18 at-grade crossings along the BNSF corridor. This fencing will fill in gaps along the corridor that currently lack fencing. Walking channels will also be added to safely guide pedestrians across ten at-grade crossings adjacent to Metra station platforms.
The BNSF rail line consists of three tracks which are used by both Metra commuter rail and BNSF freight rail. Metra's BNSF line is the busiest in the Metra system with over 15.5 million riders in 2019. As of fall 2022, Metra runs 91 trains throughout the corridor each day of the week.
Grant Amount: $2,888,000.00
Grant Period: 1/1/2024 - 12/31/2029
Fiscal Impact: $272,000.00 (FY24), $2,616,000.00 (FY25)
Accounts: 11900.1500.54546.521536. No cash match required
Concurrences:
The Budget Department has received all requisite documents and determined the fiscal impact on Cook County, if any
Summary: The Department of Transportation and Highways respectfully requests approval of the proposed Grant Award. The proposed project involves final design and construction activities to install trespassing prevention improvements along the BNSF Railway corridor in west suburban Cook County, the busiest line for the Metra commuter rail system and a major freight corridor. The project aligns with the selection criteria by enhancing safety as it will address rail safety hot spots with histories of trespassing related incidents. The project will also improve safety by channeling pede...
Click here for full text