Feds Fund $9M for Arizona Railroad Crossing Safety
Federal Railroad Administration funding targets at-grade crossings where roadways and railroads intersect across Arizona.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Car Types
Live Poll
Should your community spend public money to eliminate dangerous railroad crossings?
Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego announced that the Federal Railroad Administration has planned more than $9 million for railroad crossing safety projects. The grants focus on at-grade crossings, where roadways and railroads intersect.
Why it matters
Between 2016 and 2020, Arizona recorded 115 collisions at railroad crossings, and the grants aim to reduce the risk of collisions between trains and automobiles at these crossings.
Phoenix will receive $1.2 million to study safety improvements at 31 Grand Avenue railroad crossings, where 44% of Arizona's 2016-2020 crossing collisions occurred. Yuma County and Marana received $2 million and $6.4 million respectively for crossing elimination and grade separation work.
The players
Mark Kelly
Mark Kelly is a U.S. Senator from Arizona who announced the federal railroad crossing funding alongside Ruben Gallego.
Ruben Gallego
Ruben Gallego is a U.S. Senator from Arizona who announced the federal railroad crossing funding alongside Mark Kelly.
Federal Railroad Administration
The Federal Railroad Administration is the U.S. Department of Transportation agency that oversees federal railroad safety and funding programs.
The details
Phoenix's study covers the Grand Avenue corridor, Yuma County will finalize plans to eliminate the Fortuna Road crossing east of Yuma, and Marana received funds for environmental review and engineering design of a grade separation at a busy Union Pacific Railroad crossing.
Timeline
2016 to 2020: 115 railroad crossing collisions were recorded in Arizona.
November 5, 2026: Senators Kelly and Gallego announced the federal funding.
Roadmap
The federal grants extend the Federal Railroad Administration's grade crossing safety funding to specific Arizona corridors where roadways meet rail lines. The projects target at-grade crossings, which remain the points of highest collision risk between trains and vehicles.
Drivers in Phoenix, Yuma County, and Marana may see future safety studies, crossing eliminations, and grade separations at the rail crossings named in the funding. The projects address the risk of collisions between automobiles and trains at at-grade crossings.
The takeaway
Drivers crossing railroad tracks in Arizona should watch for at-grade crossings where collision risk has been concentrated, particularly along Phoenix's Grand Avenue. Federal funding is directed at these intersections, but driver caution remains the immediate safeguard.
Further reading
Explore more on Car Types to see how vehicles and road conditions intersect with rail crossings.
Source note: This article includes information reported by KJZZ.
Live Poll
Should your community spend public money to eliminate dangerous railroad crossings?
