The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced June 5 that it had awarded more than $570 million to the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant Program which will be used to fund 63 infrastructure projects in 32 states. The inaugural funding round will be aimed at reducing train-vehicle collisions and blocked rail crossings.

Besides projects that will build or upgrade railroad infrastructure, the FRA also awarded $15.7 million to the RCE for planning activities as well as an additional $33.1 million for future project development and design activities.

More money will be contributed annually to the RCE Program over the next four years according to the Department of Transportation. Project selections for other grant programs focused on improving rail safety, strengthening supply chains and expanding passenger rail networks will be announced in the coming months.

“As part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda, we’re improving rail crossings in communities across the country to save lives, time and resources for American families,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.