Project overview and goals
St. Louis County in Minnesota has launched formal planning to remove two at-grade rail crossings on Midway Road (CSAH 13) that intersect the CN mainline. County leaders aim to reduce traffic congestion, shorten emergency response times, and lower crash risk where vehicles queue for passing trains. The planning phase funds engineering, environmental review and public engagement but does not yet finance construction.
Why the crossings cause delays and safety hazards
More than 6,500 vehicles daily use the two Midway Road crossings, and 15–20% of those are heavy trucks serving Duluth port traffic. Up to 30 trains per day pass the crossings, producing frequent and sometimes long delays. The combination of long freight trains, higher train speeds and increased service frequency has lengthened vehicle wait times. Vehicle queues extend toward US 2 and form on approaches with limited sight lines, increasing rear-end and intersection crash risk. These queued delays also degrade emergency vehicle response windows and add operational costs for local businesses that rely on timely freight movements.
Funding secured for planning: what it covers
The planning phase carries a $2,328,000 budget. The Federal Railroad Administration awarded up to $1,862,400 through its Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program, while Minnesota’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act matching program contributes about $249,000. St. Louis County carries roughly $217,000 of the planning cost. The funds pay for detailed corridor analyses, alternative schematics, environmental documentation, property impact studies and public outreach but do not include construction financing for grade separations or new alignments.
Consultant team and schedule steps
The county selected Sambatek as lead consultant with Bolton & Menk, LHB and Braun Intertec on the team. Commissioners gave preliminary approval to the consultant contract on March 10, 2026, and the consultant team began the documented four-step community engagement and analysis process. The plan anticipates an FRA approval package at the end of planning that includes a preferred alignment, cost estimate and environmental findings. Only after that package can the county seek construction capital.
Four-phase public and technical review process
The county will gather input in four distinct phases: (1) identify problems, travel patterns and community needs around Midway Road; (2) develop and screen feasible alternatives including advantages and trade-offs; (3) present the preferred solution and rationale to the public; (4) produce a final corridor plan that addresses property impacts, access changes and the next steps for funding and permitting. Each phase combines technical traffic and rail operational modeling with community meetings and stakeholder interviews so the recommended design reflects both engineering feasibility and local priorities.
Examples of solutions under consideration
Options that typically arise in similar corridor efforts and that the county has previously considered include:
– Grade-separated bridges: Building a road overpass or rail bridge can eliminate crossing interactions. Bridges require significant right-of-way, structural design and construction funds but provide the most durable safety and operational benefit.
– Road realignment and consolidation: Rerouting Midway Road or combining two nearby at-grade crossings into a single improved crossing can reduce conflict points and deliver traffic benefits with smaller construction footprints.
– Closure with alternate access: Closing one crossing and providing detour routes or improved local access can be cost-effective when traffic distribution and emergency response planning support it.
The planning phase will quantify costs, travel time savings, safety benefits and property impacts for each option so decision-makers can compare outcomes.
Data-driven analyses the county will perform
To produce a defensible recommendation, the consultant team will perform:
– Multimodal traffic counts and origin-destination studies to measure current delay, queue extents and truck proportions and to model how alternative alignments shift traffic flows.
– Train operation analysis to capture train lengths, schedules and realistic cross-product interactions so grade separation solutions meet railroad performance needs.
– Safety and crash history review using the last 10 years of collision data to prioritize countermeasures and quantify expected crash reductions under each alternative.
– Right-of-way and environmental screening to estimate property impacts, wetland and habitat constraints, and the likely scope of National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) or state environmental documentation.
How the project affects residents, businesses and emergency services
Residents can expect targeted outreach, property impact disclosures and public hearings as alternatives advance. Local businesses that rely on truck movements should see traffic-time and vehicle-operating-cost analyses that quantify regional economic effects. Emergency responders will be part of access-planning discussions to ensure closures or new alignments do not degrade response times—planners will model response routes under each scenario and propose mitigations such as signal preemption, alternate access corridors or designated emergency crossings where feasible.
Regional context: other Minnesota rail crossing projects
The Midway Road planning study is one of eight Minnesota crossing projects supported by FRA in the same grant cycle. Examples include:
– Trunk Highway 47 & BNSF separation (Anoka): $2.5 million for planning to fully separate highway and rail.
– Connecting Camden (Minneapolis): Up to $2.0 million for planning and project development.
– TH 10 & CSAH 11 (Sherburne County): $1.38 million focused on planning grade crossing improvements.
Comparing project scopes and outcomes helps jurisdictions craft competitive construction funding applications and borrow lessons on environmental documentation, stakeholder buy-in and phased delivery strategies.
Next actionable steps and what to expect from the county
Over the coming months the county will complete technical analyses, host follow-up public meetings (including recorded online participation), develop a preferred alternative and prepare an FRA-ready package with cost estimates and environmental work. Once the planning package wins FRA acceptance, the county will pursue construction funds via federal grants, state matching programs and potential local contributions. Participants can track meeting notices, review technical memoranda and submit comments through the county’s project webpage and scheduled public forums.
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