Funding approved for state-line overpass

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration this month awarded up to $73 million for a railroad overpass at the Texas-New Mexico state line.

The grant was part of a $1.1 billion Railroad Crossing Elimination Program that funds 123 rail projects across the country, according to a U.S. Department of Transportation news release.

The overpass just west of Texico will shift U.S. 84 south of the railroad tracks and eliminate the main railroad crossing that currently exists at the state line separating Texico from Farwell.

Officials said last year the project’s final design won’t be approved until 2028, and construction isn’t expected to start until 2030. It will take three to four years to complete, a Texas DOT spokesman said in October.

“Rail grants being announced today for communities in 41 states will build railroad overpasses and underpasses, fund safety upgrades that will save lives, and make improvements that will result in safer communities for pedestrians and motorists as well as rail workers and riders,” the USDOT news release stated.

“The construction of new overpasses and underpasses, in particular, will eliminate the risk of collisions between trains and roadway users and prevent blocked crossings — which delays drivers and emergency responders alike — greatly enhancing safety, mobility, and connectivity for local communities nationwide.”

The Crossing Elimination Program also awarded about $1 million for crossing improvements in Clovis. City Manager Justin Howalt said plans are to improve the crossing at Norris Street and fund a study for a possible overpass at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.