EVERETT—Mayor Cassie Franklin and city of Everett staff joined Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02) on Friday, January 17, to visit the Smith Island site where the United States Department of Transportation awarded an $18.09 million grant that will go towards the construction of an overpass and a new integrated roundabout near the Smith Island railroad terminal in Everett.
“Thanks to the hard work of Mayor Franklin and the Everett business community, Everett has the funding it needs to improve safety and reduce congestion and pollution at two busy railroad crossings in the city,” said Larsen, who led a letter to FRA Administrator Amit Bose in support of Everett’s grant application. “Once completed, these improvements will make it easier and safer for first responders to address emergencies, commuters to get to and from jobs and school, and trucks and trains to transport goods to market and keep the economy moving in Northwest Washington.”
The $25 million Grade Crossings Elimination and Highway Connections Project, which is currently in its design phase, will create a new overpass over the BNSF mainline, close the two existing crossings at 36th Plane NE and 32nd Ave NE, and build a new integrated roundabout. This will eliminate a bottleneck for trucks seeking to get in and out of Smith lsland when the crossings are blocked by freight trains.
Over 1,800 freight trucks cross the railroad tracks—in and out—of the Smith Island Terminals daily and are slowed down when trains traverse the tracks for over two hours each day. The project when complete will eliminate logistical capacity constraints allowing more Washington concrete, topsoil, and lumber to vendors which is expected to provide more revenues to the local economy.
“We’re excited to receive this crucial federal funding for our Smith Island Safety project, a public-private partnership with the large-scale industrial firms located on Smith Island,” said Mayor Franklin. “This investment and the land donations from our partners improve access to an underutilized portion of Smith Island, supporting future economic development and job growth for our community. We want to thank Congressman Larsen for his continued advocacy in support of infrastructure investments that create economic opportunities.”
A group of private project partners and local businesses will contribute a 22% non-federal match. Senators Cantwell and Patty Murray, and Representative Suzan DelBene (WA-01) joined a letter of support for the project led by Representative Larsen in October 2024.
“At-grade rail crossings bisect communities, separate whole neighborhoods from emergency services, and delay people and goods from getting where they need to go. With freight rail traffic expected to grow 44 percent by 2050, these investments will help local governments across the State of Washington unblock these crossings,” Senator Maria Cantwell released in a statement.
The grant comes from the USDOT’s Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, which Senator Maria Cantwell authored and shepherded through Congress as part of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law which has invested nearly $12 billion in Washington infrastructure projects.
“These federal investments from the bipartisan infrastructure law will help improve safety at railroad and roadway intersections in Snohomish County and across Washington, marking a significant step forward for our communities. By reducing traffic delays, improving emergency response times, and enhancing safety for pedestrians, drivers, and rail workers alike we will see a real difference in Everett and Monroe,” Rep. DelBene released in a statement.
Last week it was announced that the following communities across Washington state received grants:
- $2.4 million for the City of Kent’s WA-BNSF Railway Corridor Crossing Safety Study: The project will study safety issues at eight existing BNSF at-grade railroad crossings in Kent. The project will outline potential alternatives to improve mobility and safety on a busy rail corridor. The City of Kent, BNSF, Amtrak, and Sound Transit will contribute the 20% non-federal match.
- $1,517,540 for Chelan County’s Malaga Waterfront Park Grade Crossing Improvements: The project will improve the at-grade crossing on West Malaga Road in Chelan County by installing active warning devices, a pathway-rail grade crossing, roadway profile improvements, grade crossing panels, thermoplastic railroad crossing pavement markings, striping and signage, and an acceleration lane onto Malaga-Alcoa Highway. This project will reduce incidents at a crossing where vehicular traffic is estimated to increase. Chelan County will contribute the 20% non-federal match. Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter of support for the project in November 2024.
- $320,000 for the City of Monroe’s Feasibility Study for Railroad Crossing Elimination: The project will study five at-grade crossings along BNSF Railway’s rail line to determine if they should be grade separated, closed, or if other safety improvements should be pursued. The City of Monroe will contribute the 20% non-federal match. Sen. Cantwell wrote a letter of support for the project in November 2024.
- $240,000 for the Aberdeen Railroad Corridor Crossing Elimination and Safety Improvement Study: The project will study the feasibility of improving at least six crossings to suggest improvements in Aberdeen. The project will analyze current conditions and analyze alternative improvements. The City of Aberdeen will contribute the 20% non-federal match.
Author: Mario Lotmore
