WASHINGTON - Alabama will receive $3.2 million in federal funding for safety improvements to the state's railroad crossings under a bill approved by the House, said U.S. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-AL).
Bachus, a member of the House Transportation Committee who has focused on the problem of rail crossing safety, also said the bill waives the standard 10 percent match that state and local governments usually have to provide in order to receive federal rail crossing money. In 1997, Bachus received a national award from Operation Lifesaver, a coalition of rail crossing safety groups, for his work in Congress to improve rail crossings.
"Perhaps no other state in the country needs this money as much as Alabama," Bachus said. "Only 11 percent of rail crossings in Alabama have gates and flashing lights. While fatalities at crossings have dropped nationwide in the 1990s, they have actually risen
in our state. We can save many lives by making these important safety improvements and
we should do so as quickly as possible."
Bachus said the federal funds will go to the Alabama Department of Transportation,
which is responsible for installing warning devices and safety equipment at crossings.
According to the Federal Railroad Administration, Alabama ranks seventh in the
nation in the number of accidents at rail crossings. In 1998, 11 people were killed and 45
injured at Alabama rail crossings.