Georgia Wins $74.2 Million for Railroad Crossing Safety

Six Georgia projects were selected in a federal round funding rail crossing elimination and signal upgrades across the state.

Updated on Nov. 15, 2026 in Transportation

Isometric editorial illustration of a striped railroad crossing gate arm lowered over a road beside a plain signal mast, in oxblood, teal, and mustard. — The Federal Railroad Administration awarded Georgia six projects totaling up to $74.2 million, led by a $35 million grant for Powder Springs to eliminate three at-grade crossings. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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The Federal Railroad Administration selected six Georgia projects for up to $74.2 million in Railroad Crossing Elimination grants. The largest award, up to $35 million, goes to Powder Springs to eliminate three at-grade crossings.

Why it matters

The awards target high-risk crossings in Georgia, where the federal agency expects signal preemption upgrades to reduce the risk of gates lowering onto vehicles. The funding follows a smaller prior round that gave Georgia up to $3.5 million across four projects.

Georgia's awards total $74,214,400, the state's largest share of the federal round so far, though the FRA lists every figure as an up-to amount. The Powder Springs award alone is up to $35,025,850, and the GDOT preemption award covers about 31 high-risk crossings.

The players

Federal Railroad Administration

The Federal Railroad Administration is the U.S. Department of Transportation agency that oversees national rail safety and administers federal rail grant programs.

Georgia Department of Transportation

The Georgia Department of Transportation is the state agency responsible for planning, building and maintaining Georgia's highway and rail infrastructure.

Norfolk Southern

Norfolk Southern is a major U.S. freight railroad that operates the Atlanta North District where Powder Springs crossings will be eliminated.

CSX

CSX is a large U.S. freight railroad that owns the crossings in Fairburn that will receive four-quadrant gates and safety upgrades.

The details

The Georgia Department of Transportation received up to $31.8 million to upgrade railroad preemption links at roughly 31 high-risk crossings, with GDOT contributing a 25% non-federal share. Powder Springs will use its award to eliminate three at-grade crossings on Norfolk Southern's Atlanta North District at Angham Road, Finch Road and Huddleston Drive, including a new signalized alternate access road and a bridge over the tracks.

October 30, 2026: The U.S. Department of Transportation presented the federal round of $1.24 billion for 91 grants in 37 states.
November 12, 2026: Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff released the Georgia breakdown of the awards.

Transportation Pipeline

The Georgia awards are part of the Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program funded under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and this round extends that program's rollout by sending far larger sums to Georgia than the prior round did. The new projects mark a step up from the four earlier Georgia grants totaling about $3.5 million.

Drivers in Powder Springs, Fairburn and other listed areas may see fewer gate-related delays and safer crossings as the projects move forward. Local traffic patterns could shift during construction of the new alternate access road and bridge in Powder Springs.

The takeaway

Rail crossing projects like these often take years to complete, so residents near affected intersections should watch for official construction notices from GDOT and local governments. Federal awards of this kind are typically up-to amounts that can change as final agreements are signed.