Council OKs $600k railroad improvement project

TYLER – On Wednesday, August 14, the City Council approved the 2024 Railroad Crossing Improvements project, which will enhance railroad crossings for Downtown street changes and other high-traffic areas. HDR Engineering, Inc. was awarded the contract for the project’s design for $600,000. In the 2022 Downtown Traffic Study, it was recommended that Downtown streets be changed from one-way to two-way. The railroad crossings on East Locust Street, East Ferguson Street and East Erwin Street must be reconfigured to switch from one-way to two-way streets. The City will work with Union Pacific Rail Road (UPRR) to accomplish this. It is estimated that the process with UPRR will take 18-24 months to get approved plans.

“To change the Locust, Ferguson, and Erwin Street railroad crossings from one-way to two-way requires considerable coordination with UPRR and several agreements that must be negotiated,” said City Engineer Darin Jennings. “HDR’s experience with UPRR should make the process go smoother and more efficiently.”

The project will also include the railroad crossing at Lake Street, which is frequently used by those entering the Midtown District. This portion of the project will involve reworking the grades at this crossing to improve the experience.

This project will be funded by the Half-Cent Sales Tax Fund.