Emporia and Spring Hill projects target dangerous rail crossings; BNSF match levels differ

The committee reviewed two rail safety applications — Emporia's plan to eliminate two at‑grade crossings and build grade separations and Spring Hill's plan for grade separations at two Woodland Road intersections. Jason said Emporia's package includes construction of two grade separations and a 10‑foot shared‑use path; BNSF committed roughly $10.7 million toward Emporia's match and the Build Kansas request was $500,000. He also said traffic and safety impacts are significant in Emporia: approximately 60 trains per day and crossings blocked nearly 20% of the day.

Spring Hill's application would remove at‑grade conflicts at 191st Street and 207th Street intersections with Woodland Road; BNSF committed $2,000,000 and the city contributed about $994,000, and the Build Kansas request was $4,500,000. Representative Hoffman asked why the BNSF match differed; staff said railroad contributions vary based on the railroad's level of investment and the number of crossings closed.