Houses, buildings being torn down as Springfield Railroad Project chugs along

The bulldozing has begun on North 10th Street and it’s not stopping anytime soon.

There’s been more movement in the Springfield Rail Improvements Project, as 81 buildings are scheduled to be demolished between the start of March and leading into the summer.

Since mid-February, the city of Springfield has been issuing demolition permits along North 10 Street and North Grand Avenue for buildings to be torn down under the project's name. The demolitions will help lead north off the pacific rail line to converge on North 10th Street where the main track lines connect.

“All those houses from the 17th Street tracks to 10th Street are going to have to come down since we’re going to have to widen everything there,” Director of Public Works Dave Fuchs said. “To put the underpass on the west end of it and the overpass on the east end of it. That’s why those houses are going down ... the city has owned those for quite a while.”

What changes are being done?

When the North 10th Street corridor is completed, there will be 32 at-grade rail crossings, with eight new underpasses and one new overpass according to Hanson Professional Services, the company working planning alongside the city of Springfield.

City of Springfield: Residents, council members frustrated after trash, yard waste go uncollected

Towards the east of the city, North Grand Avenue will have an overpass built above the new rail system for pedestrian crossing and bicycling. Towards the west, there will be an underpass beneath the tracks will allow cars to travel to avoid rail-way traffic.

What is the Springfield Rail Improvement Project?

The Springfield Rail Improvement Project is a $315 million project rerouting the city’s railway lines out of Springfield’s heart on 3 St. corridor to the N 10 St. corridor in a community development program.

The rail project will address the issues of public safety, traffic congestion, community living and commercial improvement of the current railways system in the city. Currently in Springfield, there are 68 at-grade rail crossings and 24 miles of unfenced right-of-way throughout the project area.

What work has been done?

Underpasses at Carpenter, Ash and Laurel streets have been finished as well as replacement underpasses at Fifth and Sixth streets.

Where is funding coming from for the project?

The project is still applying to other grants to find the funding it needs to complete the 10th Street corridor and final segments. Several Federal State Railroad grants are on the table from the Federal Railroad Administration , or FRA, who awards grants and loans to develop safety improvements and encourage the expansion and upgrade of passenger and freight rail infrastructure and services, according to the FRA.

“With these grants there's kind of a season,” Fuchs said. “We are going to apply for another grant that basically will help us with what the last grant was going to do, we apply in April and those are awarded in August or September.”

When is work is expected to be finished?

Initially, the project was intended to be completed in 2025, but in December of 2023 the U.S. Department of Transportation denied a $138 million grant request necessary to complete the final portions of the project.

The remaining sections are currently scheduled to be completed by August 2027, according to Nate Bottom, the city's chief engineer.

Claire Grant reports business with the State Journal-Register: CLGrant@gannett.com; X (Formerly known as Twitter): @Claire_Granted

This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Houses, buildings being torn down as Springfield Railroad Project chugs along