Longview seeks local match for Federal Railroad Administration crossing-safety study covering 33 sites

The City Council considered a Federal Railroad Administration grant that funds a study of 33 at‑grade railroad crossings across Longview to evaluate elimination and safety options.

Laura Hill said the grant will support a crossing-elimination and safety study as a first step toward capital improvements such as quiet zones or crossing upgrades. She said the study is necessary to determine which locations are viable for improvements and noted staff would provide the preliminary list of locations to council before the next meeting.

Council members asked whether the city owns the crossings; Hill clarified that the rail infrastructure is owned by the railroads and that the federal study is the mechanism to work through the FRA and the railroads on potential improvements. Council authorized the consent-item match to be funded from the fund balance as part of the consent agenda.

Next steps: staff will provide the preliminary list of 33 crossings to council and proceed with matching-fund actions required to accept the grant and begin the study.