Hall County seeks $15.78 million federal grant to eliminate Navajo Circle rail crossing

Hall County authorized staff to apply for a U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Railroad Administration Railroad Crossing Elimination/ Crossing Safety Program grant to fund design and construction of the Navajo Circle railroad crossing elimination project. Jordan Wallace, transportation program manager, told the board the county is seeking $15,783,543.15 from the federal program and would be required to provide a 20% local match of $3,156,708.63 if awarded.

The county previously received a $319,360 planning and concept‑development award for the project, Wallace said, and the planning phase with consultant Folkirk Inc. is already underway. He said, at the work‑session presentation, that engineering and construction would follow and that the overall project life cycle would likely span multiple years. Wallace also said the grant, if awarded, would require appointing the grants manager as the program designee and authorizing the chairman to sign all related application and award documents.

The board placed the grant application on the consent agenda for approval. Commissioners asked timing questions and staff responded that design and engineering are next but that it is "hard to tell" exactly when work would start; staff estimated it could be several years before construction begins and that grant funds would be distributed across multiple fiscal years.

If the award is made, the county will need to budget and identify the $3,156,708.63 match and to coordinate the multi‑year engineering and construction phases. The item was advanced on consent by the board during the work session.