HANOVER, Md. — The Maryland Department of Transportation has awarded $1.2 million in funding as part of the inaugural awards under its Freight Rail Grant Program launched this year.
Five projects have received funding under MDOT’s Office of Rail and Intermodal Freight as part of a program to help preserve railroad corridors, support economic development, and foster sustainability and innovative technologies.
“These selected projects are designed to put Maryland on the right track to support our existing and future freight corridors, and the businesses and communities that benefit from the service,” MDOT Acting Secretary Samantha J. Biddle said in a press release.
The grants awarded include:
— $500,000 to the Maryland & Delaware Rialroad for the Massey to Millington Freight Rail Rehabilitation Project. It will rebuild and upgrade 3.5 miles of state-owned track, enabling more freight to move to rail. The state awards provides matching funds for a larger proposed project that will receive federal funding to reduce roadway congestion and emissions.
— $500,000 to S.W. Barrick & Sons Inc., for Finksburg Rail Terminal improvements. The project will upgrade unloading and storage equipment, expand terminal capacity, enhance safety, and reduce diesel emissions. It will support current operations and future expansion of aggregate transport by rail.
— $160,000 to the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for the Denton Spur Choptank Bridge feasibility study, which will examine options to convert the railbanked Choptank River bridge in Denton for interim rail-trail use.
— $56,800 to the Walkersville Southern Railroad for a 100-year-storm floodplain study around the Walkersville rail yard, to assess improvements needed to support future rail infrastructure development.
— $28,800 to the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad Development Corp. to complete a main-track siding near Frostburg, Md., by installing 450 feet of track and making related repairs. The project will increase track capacity and safety on the Western Maryland Scenic.
