Cameron County gets $4 million grant for rail relocation

Cameron County gets $4 million grant for rail relocation
By LAURA B. MARTINEZ, The Brownsville Herald

The federal government has provided Cameron County with a $4 million grant that will be used to help fund the West Rail Relocation Project.

The project calls for the relocation of the international rail bridge from the downtown areas of Brownsville and Matamoros to less populated areas in both cities.

Construction on the West Rail Relocation Project is expected to begin in spring 2010, County Judge Carlos H. Cascos said Tuesday.

"This critical funding will help close the current funding gap on the estimated total amount for the construction of the new rail bridge," Cascos said. ‘‘This award of $4 million will allow us to go to construction with the necessary funding in place."

The construction cost on the United States side of the rail relocation project is estimated at $35 million.

Local, state and federal funds are funding the project. The county’s West Rail Relocation Project is among seven projects nationwide that were awarded funding by the Federal Railroad Administration’s Rail Line Relocation and Improvement Program.

To be eligible for grant funding, a project must include the reduction of adverse effects of rail traffic on safety and motor vehicle traffic flow and not negatively affect a community’s quality of life, according to the FRA.

In addition, grant recipients are required to pay at least 10 percent of the project’s cost.

Cameron County is contributing $2.5 million to the project.

The relocation project will move the rail bridge to the west side of Brownsville near the River Bend area. Moving the rail bridge is expected to reduce traffic jams and help expedite emergency medical help when needed around the Cameron County area.

Officials said the new rail bridge would also improve the ability for trains to cross at all hours. It should eliminate the three-to six-hour delays when trains are not allowed to cross during peak motor vehicle travel times during the morning and evening hours.

In late 2008, county officials traveled to Washington, D.C., to make a technical presentation to the FRA prior to submitting its application.

The project has been in the works for nearly a decade.