JONESBORO, Ark. — The City of Jonesboro is requesting input from residents for a study on 18 railroad crossings managed by Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. The effort aims to assess areas of concern and strengthen the city's case for securing federal funding for potential improvements.
According to Chris Richey, Jonesboro’s Grants and Community Development Director, the study will help identify where drivers experience delays or safety issues at the crossings, many of which are located near Dan Avenue and Arkansas Highway 463.
“We’ve got a lot of people in our community who are interested in this. They’re engaged. They want to find a solution for this problem,” Richey explained, emphasizing the importance of public participation. “That will help us in the future as we try to get funding to address those problems.”
One of the possible solutions being explored is grade separation, such as building bridges or overpasses to alleviate traffic congestion and improve safety. However, Richey noted that such projects are costly and beyond the city’s budget without assistance.
“Once you start talking about building bridges and things like that, you’re talking about a lot of money,” Richey said. “The City of Jonesboro can’t do that on its own. We’re going to have to have assistance from the federal government, and we’re going to need a plan to present to them to be able to get that help.”
Residents have until Oct. 12 to share their feedback. The city has provided an online survey and a complete list of the railroad crossings included in the study on its official website.