A $20.4 million federal grant will go toward construction of a bridge over railroad tracks that cross West Cortaro Farms Road near Interstate 10 in Marana.
The grant from the Federal Railroad Administration will contribute to the cost of design and environmental expenses for the eventual bridge over the Union Pacific rail line that will include a new traffic interchange with Interstate 10, a news release on Friday said.
The grant award will fund about 30% of the the project's design, according to the release.
The grant is part of the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which funds safety improvements around highway-rail crossings.
Drivers pass through a Union Pacific railroad crossing Tuesday on West Cortaro Farms Road in Marana. A $20 million in federal grant will get the town closer to having a bridge built over the crossing.
The current street-level crossing has raised safety and air quality concerns in the community.
Many local and state leaders advocated for the project and grant, including Senators Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly.
Previously, Marana implemented smaller solutions at the intersection, such as new lane configurations and road pavement repair. But there were still traffic issues because of the railroad.
A rendering shows what the grade separation at West Cortaro Farms Road could look like.
“Stopgap measures cannot address the serious operational problems that occur when a train brings traffic to a standstill,” wrote Kelly and Sinema in their letter of support for the grant.
The grant only covers a fraction of the project’s total cost, which is approximately $200 million. Marana, with state contributions and the grant, has covered about 15% of the project costs.
Marana hopes to fund a large portion of the remaining cost using the Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) Next plan, which Pima County voters will be voting on this November.
