June 30, 2023
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg Announces Grant for the City of Lexington at R. J. Corman Lexington Yard
From left to right: Kentucky Secretary of Transportation Jim Gray, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, and Lexington Mayor Linda Gorton.
The U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a RAISE grant for the City of Lexington on Thursday at R. J. Corman Railroad Company Central Kentucky Yard in Lexington, KY.
The U.S. DOT will distribute $8,120,000 for a project to reconstruct and widen a railroad overpass on North Broadway in Lexington. This project will enable the addition of sidewalks and other roadway improvements along this important corridor. The funds will also increase the vertical clearance under the railroad overpass, which is part of R. J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines' operation, a partnership with CSX.
The Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Discretionary Grant program invests in road, rail, transit, and port projects. According to the USDOT, in 2022, RAISE awarded 166 projects across 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
"We worked with R. J. Corman [in preparation for this grant application], our hosts today. They wrote a letter in support of our plan to improve the overpass," said Mayor Linda Gorton. "Rebuilding the railroad overpass will remove barriers, increase mobility, enhance safety, and improve the economic vitality of the area."
"Two years ago, right on the other side of the trains behind us. We were able to fund major improvements to the Central Kentucky Railroad, including a new freight facility, track rehabilitation, switch replacement, and better grade crossings," said Buttigieg.
A Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant was awarded in 2022 to R. J. Corman Railroad Company to benefit the R. J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines (RJCC).
This is the second visit from federal officials to the R. J. Corman Central Kentucky Lines this year. In April, R. J. Corman Railroad Group had the honor of hosting a visit from members of the Surface Transportation Board (STB).
From left to right: R. J. Corman Railroad Group Director of Government Affairs William Downey, R. J. Corman Railroad Group Commercial Development Manager April Colyer, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Ray Goss R. J. Corman Railroad Company President, R. J. Corman Railroad Company VP of Transportation John Phillips, and R. J. Corman Railroad Company VP of Mechanical Todd Comer.
