A project to improve more than 26 miles of rail tracks from Gary to Michigan City has received more than $50 million in federal support.
The Double Track Northwest Indiana Project was one of four transportation improvement projects designed to receive a share of $400 million in federal funds from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Transit Administration. The government said in an Aug. 26 statement the project selected are advancing toward readiness to receive a “Full Funding Grant Agreement under FTA’s Capital Investment Grants Program.”
The double track project is in the engineering phase of the CIG program. It involves improvements and installation of a 26.6-mile second track on the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District South Shore commuter rail line from Gary to Michigan City. FTA is allocating $50.6 million in FY 2020 CIG funds to the project.
The state and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority are providing local matching funds, which allowed the project to be eligible to receive federal support.
The CIG program provides funding for major transit infrastructure capital investments nationwide. Projects accepted into the program must go through a multi-year, multi-step process according to requirements in law to be eligible for consideration to receive program funds.
Other projects receiving CIG funds:
- Phoenix, Arizona – Northwest Extension Phase II Project: The Phoenix Northwest Extension Phase II Project is a New Starts project in the Engineering phase of the CIG program. The project is a 1.5-mile extension of the Valley Metro light rail system from the existing end of line station in Northwest Phoenix to the Metrocenter Mall. FTA is allocating $50.6 million in FY 2020 CIG funds to the project.
- Kansas City, Missouri – Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension Project:The Kansas City Streetcar Main Street Extension project is a New Starts project that is in the Engineering phase of the CIG program. The project is a 3.5-mile extension of the Kansas City Downtown Streetcar from the existing streetcar terminus at Union Station to the University of Missouri – Kansas City. FTA is allocating $50.8 million in FY 2020 CIG funds to the project.
- Hudson County, N.J. – Portal North Bridge Project: The Hudson County Portal North Bridge Project is a Core Capacity project in the Engineering phase of the CIG program. The project is construction of a new, two-track fixed structure railroad bridge across the Hackensack River in Hudson County, New Jersey, along the Northeast Corridor (NEC). The project will replace the existing bridge which is over 100 years old and represents a significant operational bottleneck. FTA is allocating a total of $248 million in FY 2018 and FY 2019 CIG funds to the project.
FTA announced it would provide $50.6 million for the project from its fiscal 2020 budget.
Work also continues on the West Lake Corridor Project.
The Department of Transportation on May 29 announced the project, which involves construction of a new eight-mile rail line extending from Hammond on the north to Dyer in the south, with four new stations, will receive $100 million in federal dollars through the Federal Transit Administration’s Capital Investment Grants Program and potentially may be viewed as an advance on the requested $355 million in federal money sought the project.
