Norfolk Southern, the City of Birmingham and the City of Trussville have hired engineering firm Kimley-Horn to design a project that will close nine railroad crossings between Woodlawn and Trussville and cut the blocked crossings that have stalled drivers, school buses and ambulances along the corridor for years.
The selection was announced at Sloss Furnaces, where federal, state and local officials joined the railroad to mark the project’s move into engineering, environmental review and design.
The project is called R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N. Alabama, short for Reduce Extended Delays; Enhance Safety; and Invest in Growing Neighborhoods. Birmingham won an $8 million federal Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements grant for it in 2023. Norfolk Southern committed $1.5 million toward the local match, with Birmingham and Trussville contributing $250,000 each.
The corridor feeds Norfolk Southern’s Norris Yard, and trains waiting to get in or out of the yard have sat across area crossings for hours and, in at least one case, days. In late 2021, a train blocked the downtown Trussville crossing for 10 days.
State Rep. Danny Garrett (R-Trussville) filed legislation in the latest quadrennium and the one prior proposing to fine railroads for blocking crossings — driven by constituent complaints about the very rail lines NS and city governments are now converging to address.
The project gives trains somewhere else to wait. Norfolk Southern will extend its siding track in Trussville two miles into Norris Yard so trains leaving and approaching the yard can pass each other without stopping on a road. The plan calls for 11 miles of “landing zones” where trains can hold near the yard without sitting on a crossing. A new bridge would carry Mary Taylor Road over the tracks in Trussville.
In Woodlawn, an underpass at Brussels Avenue and a pedestrian underpass near 59th Street would give residents of the neighborhood, home to the Harris Homes public housing community, a route in and out that no train can block, and a clear path for police and fire crews. The project also extends 5th Avenue South to Brussels Avenue and adds a sidewalk along 5th Avenue from 56th Street. Residents along the line would hear fewer train horns once the nine crossings close.
Rodney Moore, Norfolk Southern’s Vice President of Transportation, said the project shows what the railroad and the cities can do together.
“R.E.D.E.S.I.G.N. Alabama demonstrates what’s possible when communities and the railroad collaborate to solve long-standing challenges and engage the right government resources to fund a solution,” Moore said. “This investment will enhance safety, improve quality of life, strengthen supply chain connectivity and help ensure that Birmingham continues to thrive as an important rail and economic hub for decades to come.”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the problem predates everyone in the room.
“Good infrastructure should work for everybody—our residents, our neighborhoods and our regional economy,” Woodfin said. “This project allows us to solve a problem that has affected people for generations while building a safer, more connected Birmingham.”
Trussville Mayor Ben Short said the design phase is the step his city has been waiting on.
“By working together with the City of Birmingham, Norfolk Southern, and our federal partners, we are making meaningful progress toward improving safety, reducing traffic delays, and strengthening the infrastructure that supports our region’s economic growth,” Short said. “I am excited to see this project move into the design phase and look forward to the positive impact it can have on our communities for generations to come.”
Kimley-Horn will lead engineering and environmental review on the crossings, the underpasses, the Mary Taylor Road bridge and the Norris Yard track extension.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
