The Georgia Department of Transportation (Georgia DOT) completed its first Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvement (CRISI) Grant project this month, which included upgrades along 138 miles of the Heart of Georgia (HOG) Railroad from Vidalia to Preston. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded $2 million in competitive CRISI Grant program funding in 2018 to go towards track and rail bridge upgrades, accommodations to support 286,000-pound rail cars and elimination of slow orders on portions of the track. Georgia DOT contributed an additional $2 million in bond funds towards this portion of the project. Construction began in July 2020. This CRISI Grant funded project is part of a larger scale project to upgrade the HOG railroad as part of GDOT’s multi-year effort to reach full 286k, Class II compliance.

"These Georgia DOT owned short line railroads provide first and last mile service transporting Georgia products from customer facilities to locations across the nation," said Joanna Campbell, Georgia DOT's Division of Intermodal assistant director. "CRISI Grants enable us to increase the capacity and the speed of these lines so they can provide more consistent, dependable service for manufacturers and producers in Georgia."

The Heart of Georgia Railroad provides east‐west connectivity through rural middle Georgia between Preston and Vidalia, where it then travels north to Midville. For local manufacturing and agricultural businesses, the 138‐mile section of short line railroad is strategically located to carry several agricultural, manufacturing, forestry and intermodal products between central Georgia and the Port of Savannah, offering access to national and global markets. This railroad supports approximately 1,000 jobs in rural Georgia. 

"For CRISI projects, the FRA remains a partner throughout the entire project participating in tasks such as reviewing scope of work, project schedules and engineering, as well as monitoring progress and ensuring the project stays on schedule," said Campbell.  

CRISI Grants provide funding for states to complete rail projects designed to modernize our country's rail infrastructure, strengthen supply chains and get people and goods where they need to be efficiently and more affordably. Georgia first received CRISI Grants in 2018 and this is the first project to be completed. Currently, there are seven CRISI Grant funded projects underway in Georgia. 

For more information on CRISI Grants, please view the fact sheet on Georgia DOT's website.