BLAINE, WA (MyBellinghamNow.com) – The city of Blaine is getting federal funding to help tackle a major traffic headache.

U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen announced on Thursday, Oct. 29, that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is giving Blaine $66.4 million to build an overpass at the Bell Road rail crossing.

The city plans to replace the existing at-grade crossing at the intersection of Bell Road and Peace Portal Drive with a new roadway and railway overpass.

Frequent crossings from BNSF and Amtrak trains are causing daily traffic backups at the intersection, which have slowed emergency response times.

“This $66 million federal investment is a major milestone for Blaine and a tremendous investment in the safety and future of our community,” Blaine Mayor Mary Lou Steward said in a news release.

“The Bell Road overpass will eliminate train-related delays at this crossing, make daily travel safer and more reliable and help ensure first responders can reach people when every second counts,” she added. “We are grateful to our federal partners, BNSF, David Evans and Associates, city staff and everyone who has worked to advance this long-awaited project. This investment will strengthen connections across our region and benefit our residents and businesses for generations to come.”

The city has already begun preliminary design of the project and is currently taking public feedback, with no timeline yet for construction to begin.

Larsen also announced that the FRA is awarding $2.3 million to the city of Mount Vernon to examine potential upgrades to eight rail crossings.