Davenport Iowa USA - Davenport plans to apply for a U.S. Department of Transportation grant that would pay for safety improvements and quiet zones at Davenport railroad intersections.
 
The grant would be used to make improvements as the city braces for a potential rail company merger that is expected to triple train traffic along Davenport's tracks.
 
The city is asking for about US$2.7 million for a roughly US$3.4 million project.
 
It would fund the installation of recommended safety equipment at vehicle and pedestrian crossings, including fencing at key locations along the rail line.
 
According to the city, the improvements reduce the risk of serious injuries and fatal collisions with trains.
 
Plus, the improvements would establish an official quiet zone between Marquette and Mound streets.
 
Moline also is looking into so-called quiet zones to reduce or eliminate train-horn noise in the downtown, especially as the city seeks to add more residential units near the downtown tracks.
 
At their meeting Tuesday, Davenport aldermen approved a resolution authorizing staff to submit a grant to the 2022 Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant program, run by the Federal Railroad Administration division of the U.S. Department of Transportation.
 
The city estimates the total project cost to be US$3,437,150, of which the city is requesting about US$2,749,720 (80 percent) from the program, and the city's share is estimated to be about US$687,430 (20 percent).
 
This past summer, Davenport was one of several cities along the river in Iowa that accepted multi-million-dollar settlement pledges from Canadian Pacific as the company seeks federal approval to merge with Kansas City Southern and form the first north-south, single-line rail route from Mexico to Canada.
 
The company expects to attract more freight traffic, leading to triple the number of trains estimated along the area's tracks.
 
If the merger is approved as expected in early 2023, the city hopes to leverage its settlement money to win grants to make the Davenport riverfront safer and more attractive, even as more trains move through.
 
The city also applied for a Destination Iowa tourism grant to build a new riverfront park, Main Street Landing, and proposed in its grant application the use of US$6 million from its railroad settlement to leverage more state-award money.
 
The settlement funds from the railroad are contingent upon the approval of the merger by the federal Surface Transportation Board.
 
Sarah Watson.