Politics · Midway Road crossingsMidway Road rail crossings: $2,328,000 for planning, construction still unfundedWritten November 15, 2026 at 10:01 AM UTCWatchTranscript0:07A hill cuts driver's view of stopped traffic near a Midway Road railroad crossing.0:11Trains can interrupt a trip twice, slow freight and hold up emergency responders.0:15This county is bringing residents into planning to eliminate both crossings.0:19Which road layout can solve those problems, and how will the county pay to build it?0:24The two CN crossings sit just over a mile apart along the corridor between0:27Interstate30,5 and Highway2.0:30Midway Road runs through Hermantown and Midway Township, and CN owns and operates0:34both crossings.0:35One crossing is at St.0:37Louis River Road.0:38The other is in Adolph, just two tenths of a mile south of Highway Two.0:42That short stretch leaves limited room for southbound vehicles waiting at the0:45tracks.0:46A long line can back up into the highway intersection.0:48A hill about four tenths of a mile south of the Adolf crossing creates a different0:52danger.0:53Northbound drivers have less distance to see stopped vehicles and brake.0:56Gates and signals still leave a risk of collisions between vehicles and trains.1:06Maintenance at either crossing can disrupt travel too.1:09And a delay for an ambulance, fire engine, or police vehicle can lengthen an1:13emergency response.1:14The county wants a design that improves those conditions while keeping freight1:17moving.1:17County Commissioner Keith Moussoff represents both crossings.1:20He said in March that freight delays carry an economic cost.1:24Midway Road supports the Duluth port as a route for oversized and overweight loads,1:28so these weights reach beyond everyday commuting.1:30Idling and longer freight trips add costs and emissions.1:33Between fifteen and twenty percent of vehicles using the road are freight trucks.1:36A two thousand and twenty three county exploration study found that longer and more1:40frequent trains had increased delays.1:42Public meetings and surveys identified the crossings as the area's top traffic1:46concern.1:47The road traffic figures vary: more than seven thousand in March, seven to nine1:51thousand around the meeting, and more than sixty five hundred in November's county1:54announcement.1:55Different count dates or road sections could explain that variation.1:58It doesn't show that traffic has fallen.2:00Those figures describe road use rather than how many vehicles trains delay.2:04Each crossing carries up to thirty trains a day.2:07The county's earlier consultation found support for exploring changes.2:10With the choice of a design still ahead, residents joined the introductory planning2:14meeting on November12,20206 , at the Odd Shrine Meeting and Event Center in2:18Hermantown.2:19A virtual option was available.2:21The county asked people about their concerns and their vision for the road's future.2:25The estimated planning budget is two million three hundred and twenty-eight thousand2:29dollars.2:29Federal funding provides up to one million eight hundred and sixty two thousand four2:34hundred dollars.2:35Minnesota adds about two hundred forty-nine thousand dollars, and the county about2:39two hundred and seventeen thousand dollars.2:41The federal award came in January two thousand and twenty, five through the railroad2:45crossing elimination program.2:46Minnesota's Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Match program supplies the state2:49contribution.2:50Construction funding still has to be secured.2:53Subscribe to this channel to follow the road alternatives, property impacts, and2:57construction funding decisions.2:58A bridge or tunnel could carry vehicles above or below the railway.3:02Engineers call that grade separation.3:03Another approach would reroute Midway Road.3:05The county hasn't selected a preferred solution, and each approach needs detailed3:09study.3:10A new alignment means deciding where the road would go and how people would reach3:13homes and businesses.3:15An overpass or underpass also needs a layout that works for the surrounding3:18community.3:19The eventual improvements are intended to reduce road delays and could allow higher3:22train speeds.3:23The county plans four rounds of engagement: first come concerns and goals, then3:27feasible alternatives and their trade offs.3:29A third round explains the recommendation and why it was chosen.3:32The fourth addresses the final layout: property impacts, access changes, and3:36implementation steps.3:37Residents, businesses, and trucking interests will participate alongside community3:41organizations.3:42The county also wants input from emergency responders, maintenance crews, and3:45planners.3:46Agency participants include Hermantown, Midway Township, Minnesota Transportation3:51Officials, the Duluth, Superior Metropolitan Interstate Council, CN, and the Duluth3:56Port.3:56Sambotec leads the consultant team assisted by Bolton and Menck, LHB and Braun4:01Intertech.4:01County commissioners gave the Sambatec contract preliminary approval on March tenth,4:06two thousand and twenty six by November.4:08The county had hired the team.4:09The team must produce a recommended roadway layout, a cost estimate, and an4:13environmental document for federal approval.4:15The county's March plan named both federal railroad and highway agencies in that4:19approval process.4:20Its November description names the Federal Railroad Administration.4:23Completing that work would support a later request for construction money.4:26The road's final route, its effects on property and access, and the cost of building4:30it still depend on the alternative chosen.4:32Motorists, freight operators, and emergency responders have no confirmed date for4:36relief at the crossings.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
