Monday, August 16, 2004 (Washington, DC) Wisconsin will receive a $372,800 grant to improve highway-rail grade crossings as part of a program to enhance safety and prepare federally designated corridors for future high-speed rail operations.

"These grants will help prevent vehicle-train collisions and move us closer to the day when high-speed rail can be a real option for travelers," said Acting Federal Railroad Administrator Betty Monro.

Wisconsin hosts one spoke of the Chicago Hub Corridor connecting Chicago to Milwaukee and Minneapolis / St. Paul.

The grant will be used to partially fund the upgrade of nine Canadian Pacific crossings with new track circuitry, lights, and gates in seven counties including: County Trunk Highway F and Third Street in Jefferson County; Division Street in Juneau County; Leonard Street at Elm Street in La Crosse County; North 13th Street in Milwaukee County; Glendale Avenue in Monroe County; County Trunk Highway C in Racine County; and Wisconsin Avenue and Kopmeier Road in Waukesha County.

Nationally, there are ten high-speed rail corridors being developed that connect cities in 28 states. These rail corridors are meant to provide intercity passenger ground transportation that is as fast as air or automobile travel for trips between 100 and 500 miles.

Wisconsin is one of five states sharing $5.2 million to make improvements to grade crossings in designated high-speed rail corridors. Similar grants are being released Alabama, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Washington. Since 1993, this grant program has improved over 450 crossings nationwide.

The funding is made available under Section 1103 (c) of the Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21). The Federal Railroad Administration and Federal Highway Administration jointly manage this grant program.