West SpringfieldFriday, November 13
West Springfield lands $30 million to replace two blocked rail crossings with an overpass
The Springfield Morning News team
If you cross Front Street into Agawam, relief is coming, just not soon. Massachusetts has secured $30 million in federal funding to replace two railroad crossings near the CSX Intermodal Terminal with an overpass. Trains entering and leaving the terminal block them multiple times a day. The project also continues to lay the groundwork for Compass Rail, MassDOT's program for future West-East passenger rail linking Albany, Springfield, and Boston.
Federal money would replace two crossings that trains block
- $30 million
- in federal funding for the crossing project
- 2
- railroad crossings the overpass would replace
- 5 min–1.5 hrs
- waits when a train blocks the crossing, per the mayor
- $320 million+
- total federal funding awarded for Compass Rail
Sources: The Reminder, BusinessWest, westernmassnews.com
Mayor Will Reichelt told The Reminder that construction would start around 2028 and take about two years, but "those are all just guesses right now."
- Main route: 2nd Street over the tracks toward Bridge Street
- Possible routes: three so far, per Reichelt
- Partners: MassDOT, CSX, Agawam and West Springfield
The Front Street overpass is funded but years from opening
- 2024West Springfield announces the project.
- Oct. 2026The state secures $30 million in federal funding for it.
- 2028Construction would start around 2028 and take about two years, per the mayor's guess.
Sources: The Reminder, BusinessWest, westernmassnews.com
Sources: The Reminder, BusinessWest, westernmassnews.com