BRIEF: City receives nearly $18 million grant to eliminate railroad crossing and build overpass in its place

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has awarded the Olathe city government a $17,987,495 grant to turn the railroad crossing on Woodland Road into a 119th street overpass.

The grant is part of a federal infrastructure bill passed by Congress that spends $108 billion on public transportation improvements. This specific use of the funds is meant to decrease accidents and improve travel times on 119th Street.

The Olathe city website states the BNSF railroad tracks see 68 to 88 trains a day, making them “some of the busiest tracks in the country.”

“Eliminating an at-grade crossing at Woodland Road and replacing it with the 119th Street flyover connection will ensure Olathe residents have a reliable, consistent, safe, and train-free route for north/south travel while providing another east/west connection for the city,” the site states. 

According to the FRA, there were more than 2,000 collisions at railroad crossings in 2019, resulting in 209 deaths. 

“Far too many accidents occur at rail crossings, including right here in our community,” Sharice Davids, 3rd District representative, said in a press release. “The fatalities that follow are preventable, and thanks to the bipartisan infrastructure law, folks traveling to work or school will no longer have to cross this rail junction on 119th Street. But not only will this project improve safety, it will also decrease commute times and provide a new sidewalk so Kansans can enjoy the Gary Haller Trail. This is just one more example of how the bipartisan infrastructure law is benefitting our community.”