Explanation
1. BACKGROUND
The Ohio Rail Development Commission (ORDC) is now accepting grant applications for its Ohio Grade Crossing Elimination Program, which provides state assistance to Ohio communities in competing for federal grade crossing elimination grant funding. This program was created for State Fiscal Years 2024 and 2025 as part of the State Operating Budget. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis.
The State Operating Budget has set aside $100 million to help Ohio communities compete for federal discretionary funds. The goal of this program is to develop projects and secure funding to eliminate at-grade railroad crossings. Ohio communities will submit railroad crossing elimination projects to ORDC, which will identify the projects with the best opportunities for federal funding and assist communities in developing these locations into competitive federal grant applications. As envisioned, ORDC will classify projects into four categories:
1. Projects that are ready for federal application. For projects in this category, ORDC will work with the community to develop the necessary documentation, funding proposals and preliminary engineering necessary to apply for federal construction funding.
2. Projects that need additional development before they can be submitted as a federal application. For projects in this category, ORDC will assist the communities to perform the necessary planning studies to create a federal application.
3. Projects that have significant public benefits but are not a good candidate for current federal discretionary grant opportunities. For projects in this category, ORDC will work to identify other funding for the project.
4. Projects that do not meet state or federal program requirements.
The City meets the criteria to be eligible to submit an application to ORDC. The Department of Public Service (DPS) has identified two potential project candidates to submit to ORDC. One project is the grade sepa...
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