SCHUMER, GILLIBRAND ANNOUNCE NEARLY $12+ MILLION FOR OGDENSBURG BRIDGE & PORT AUTHORITY FOR FREIGHT RAIL MODERNIZATION IN NORTH COUNTRY
Senators Explain Project Will Greenlight Major Rail Modernization And Upgrade 14+ Miles Of Track In St Lawrence County, Improving Safety, Efficiency, Resilience & Competitiveness Of Ogdensburg Area Railroad Built In The Early 1900s
Funding Comes From Consolidated Rail Infrastructure And Safey Improvements Program That Schumer Fought To Boost Funding For In Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law
Schumer, Gillibrand: This Fed $$ Puts Ogdensburg On Track For A Safer & More Efficient Future!
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $11,709,995 to greenlight a major modernization project at the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority (OBPA) which will upgrade over 14 miles of rail, stretching across St Lawrence County communities from Lisbon to Norwood, equipping the railroad to handle modern, industry standard 286,000-pound freight cars, improving rail safety and reliability, bolstering North Country commerce and good-paying jobs, and much more. The federal funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program, which Schumer fought to increase funding for in the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law.
“The feds just greenlit major modernizations for freight rail by the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. Many of the rail tracks in the Ogdensburg area are decades old and in need of major upgrades. I am proud to deliver this nearly $12 million fed investment that will help the port do more business by allowing them to more goods quickly and efficiently,” said Senator Schumer. “New modern rail infrastructure will allow for more commerce to flow in the North Country. The Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law continues to deliver for the North Country, and I am thrilled that the program is bringing major investment back here to St. Lawrence County.”
“This funding will make rail across the North Country safer, more reliable, and more efficient. I’m proud to have fought to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to provide the funding for this project and many more across New York State and will continue fighting to improve our state’s roads, bridges, and railways,” said Senator Gillibrand.
“The Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority is very pleased to receive substantial funding through the Federal Railroad Administration’s CRISI program. This funding will provide for much needed capacity improvements to the New York and Ogdensburg Railway that services, the Port of Ogdensburg and the North Country economy. These improvements will greatly increase the railroad’s competitive advantage in attracting commerce to our region. On behalf of the OBPA and North Country community we serve, I would like to extend our sincere appreciation to Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Gillibrand for their unwavering support and commitment to growth at the OBPA,” said Steve Lawrence, Executive Director, Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority.
According to Schumer, this longstanding North Country transportation priority will modernize over 14 miles of OBPA track operated by the New York & Ogdensburg Railway nearing the end of its useful life, stretching across the Town of Lisbon, Town of Madrid, Town of Potsdam, and Village of Norwood. Schumer explained that, currently, this stretch of OBPA rail is only equipped to handle legacy 263,000-pound rail carts, severely limiting its utility, capacity, efficiency and more. Now, thanks to this boost of federal funding, the OBPA will be able to proceed with long-sought upgrades equipping the railroad to handle a larger fleet of modern, industry-standard rail cars.
The Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law, which Schumer crafted and led to passage in the Senate, included $5 billion over five years for the CRISI program. The program invests in various projects within the United States to improve railroad safety, efficiency, and reliability; mitigate congestion at both intercity passenger and freight rail chokepoints to support more efficient travel and goods movement; enhance multi-modal connections; and lead to new or substantially improved Intercity Passenger Rail Transportation corridors.
Schumer and Gillibrand have long fought to support various projects for the Ogdensburg Bridge and Port Authority. Last month, Schumer announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation named Breeze Airways as Ogdensburg International Airport’s new Essential Air Service carrier. In 2023, Schumer secured $5,000,000 through the Bipartisan Infrastructure & Jobs Law to complete the Port of Ogdensburg’s terminal expansion project. In 2022, Schumer secured $3,000,000 or construction and repairs to the Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge. Over the last two years, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand secured awards of $2,100,000 and $1,000,000 for the OBPA’s new 15,000 square foot childcare center. In 2016, Senators Schumer and Gillibrand secured over $11,000,000 to the Ogdensburg International Airport from the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program (AIP) for their airport expansion project.
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