Railroad safety improvements are at the core of a special study developing soon in Emporia.
What’s being called the Emporia Corridor Safety Improvements project has the city of Emporia, Burlington Northern Santa Fe and the Kansas Department of Transportation as partners in using Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Crossing Elimination grant funding. The study is set to gauge long-term safety improvements for the 15 crossings between State and Weaver.
Meanwhile, the project team is coordinating with BNSF to gain more federal funding through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, specifically for possible safety enhancements at East and at Peyton. If funding is awarded for these two crossings, East Street would move towards environmental review and early designs while Peyton would be set for construction.
Details have not been released about potential options for these crossings. The planning study should be finished by first quarter 2027.
