FY24- Congressionally Directed - City of Belvidere Appleton Road Grade Separation

The FY24 Congressionally Directed grant for the City of Belvidere Appleton Road Grade Separation, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), supports targeted infrastructure improvements in rail safety and efficiency. This initiative is part of the broader Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which aims to enhance the safety, reliability, and performance of both freight and passenger rail systems across the United States. The CRISI program is a competitive grant program established under 49 U.S.C. 22907, and this particular opportunity is congressionally directed, meaning it has been specified by legislative appropriations for a defined purpose and recipient. The City of Belvidere, Illinois, is the sole eligible applicant for this opportunity, reflecting the grant’s specific designation for a grade separation project at Appleton Road. Grade separation involves creating overpasses or underpasses to eliminate at-grade railroad crossings, which are a common cause of traffic congestion and safety hazards. These projects help reduce collisions, improve emergency response times, and enhance the flow of both rail and vehicular traffic. The project aligns with FRA’s goal of reducing rail-related incidents and supporting local economic development by improving transportation infrastructure. This grant opportunity offers a total program funding of $1,666,279, with a matching requirement imposed on the applicant. The award ceiling matches the total funding available, indicating that only one award will be issued for this cycle, consistent with its single-entity eligibility. While specific application components and evaluation criteria are not detailed in the available summary, the application process is administered via Grants.gov, with an application deadline of November 15, 2025. The opportunity is non-recurring, and applications are accepted until the closing date, with no indication of future rounds or rolling submissions. The grantor contact is the GrantSolutions Help Desk, which provides technical support for applicants. The Help Desk operates weekdays from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern Time and can be reached by phone at 1.866.577.0771 or 202.401.5282. The grant was posted on November 1, 2025, and is scheduled to archive on December 15, 2025, following the application deadline. As a Congressionally directed grant, this funding is not open to competition and is specifically intended to expedite infrastructure improvements in Belvidere. Projects like this serve as critical components in enhancing the safety and functionality of the national rail network and ensuring that local communities benefit from modern, secure, and efficient transportation systems.