Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
If you’ve driven along Woodbourne Road in Middletown Township, there’s a good chance you have been stuck for more than a few minutes due to CSX freight trains blocking the roadway at the Woodbourne Regional Rail Station.
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The problem has lingered for years and township officials have been able to do little to stop the issue. Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, a Republican from Middletown Township, has heard the complaints and his office has taken part in meetings, but the blockages continue.
Over the years, the township has issued tickets against CSX, its employees, and taken the freight railroad transportation company to court over the blockages connected to its rail yard in Middletown Township. The problem for the township has come down to federal rules that give rail companies the upper hand.
This week, U.S. senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, both Democrats, announced a $375,000 grant from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will help fund the study of the rail crossing and what improvements can be made. The money will be directed through the Federal Railroad Administration.
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PennDOT will contribute another $375,000 to support the study.
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Casey said in a statement that the study will look at making the crossing “safer and more efficient.”
Fetterman stated he hopes the rail crossing study will suggest improvements for pedestrian safety.
“The funding will be used to explore the improvements that could be made to the crossing,” a spokesperson for Casey told LevittownNow.com.
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“The Federal Railroad Administration’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, authorized by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, provides funding for highway-rail and pathway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods,” the senators’ offices said in a statement.
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