Mayor Joe Judge seems to be cautiously optimistic that a new federal program may result in a railroad overpass being built in Mt. Carmel. At this week’s city council meeting, Judge said the US Department of Transportation has opened a railroad crossing elimination grant program which is a part of the bipartisan infrastructure law. The purpose of the grant program is to fund highway-rail grade crossing improvement projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. Judge said preliminary discussions have already taken place on the city submitting a grant ahead of the October 5th deadline….
One obstacle to Mt. Carmel receiving a grant is that talks are underway to replace the Wabash River Bridge on I-64 near Grayville. That would divert resources to that project and away from a possible overpass here. The need for an overpass here was amplified last month after a train derailment snarled traffic for hours.