The Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway will receive $43.55 million in federal funding to rehabilitate and modernize its swing bridge over the Maumee River in Toledo, a project officials say will relieve a long-standing bottleneck on one of northwest Ohio’s busiest freight corridors. The award comes through the Federal Railroad Administration’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements program, known as CRISI.
The work will rehabilitate eight of the bridge’s 11 spans and replace its timber fender systems. When complete, the upgrades will raise the bridge’s capacity to handle modern railcars weighing up to 286,000 pounds, matching the standard that freight customers increasingly expect across the national rail network.
The Wheeling & Lake Erie will contribute 33 percent of the project cost as a non-federal match, which may include funding from the Ohio Rail Development Commission. The Toledo grant is part of a national CRISI round investing more than $2.3 billion in 105 rail projects across 45 states and the District of Columbia, expected to improve more than 2,000 miles of track and draw about $1.9 billion in additional non-federal funding.
“Ohio’s rail infrastructure plays a critical role in moving goods, supporting businesses and keeping our economy strong,” Sen. Jon Husted said in announcing the award, which he said he advocated for in a letter to the Federal Railroad Administration. “This investment will make the Toledo Swing Bridge safer and more reliable, allowing goods to move more efficiently and strengthening Toledo’s position as a major transportation hub.”
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, who put total new federal rail investment in northwest Ohio at about $50 million, said the bridge work will also help the river traffic that shares the Maumee. Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority President and CEO Thomas Winston said the project improves the efficiency of railroad operations in the port area and the reliability of the bridge, reducing potential delays for maritime traffic moving through the area.
The railway itself describes the span in blunter terms. “The Toledo Swing Bridge Project will be a landmark effort to modernize the capacity and safety of a critical piece of infrastructure on the Wheeling. This bridge has been a chokepoint in our rail operation,” said Nick Strub, the railway’s director of engineering services, thanking federal and state partners for their support in securing the $43.55 million grant.
Three other Ohio projects also won CRISI funding in the same round: $23.24 million for a double-stack clearance project across eight counties, $7.79 million to rehabilitate 69 miles of Cincinnati Eastern Railroad main line, and $5.6 million for Indiana Northeastern Railroad work in Williams County. Design and construction schedules for the Toledo bridge work will be set as the grant agreements are finalized.