A San Antonio rail crossing is about to get a $47 million makeover courtesy of the U.S. Department of Transportation, which is funneling the money toward eliminating an at-grade crossing over Union Pacific railroad tracks through grade separation. The project is one of nearly 100 nationwide to land USDOT funding, aimed at easing a chokepoint that has long frustrated drivers and pedestrians trying to get across the tracks.
As reported by KENS 5, Bexar County will contribute a 24.1% non-federal cost share, per USDOT, with that local match potentially drawn from the Alamo Regional Mobility Authority, TxDOT, and Union Pacific Railroad. The planned upgrade is expected to provide relief at a congested crossing where backups have become a recurring headache for commuters and emergency responders alike.
Notably, the USDOT news release announcing the award did not specify the exact road location of the grade-separation work, and TxDOT officials did not return a request for comment by publication time asking where the project will actually be built. That leaves a real gap in an otherwise detailed funding rollout, and it's one locals will want answered before celebrating a fix to a specific intersection.
A Likely Candidate: Walzem Road
While the precise site remains unconfirmed, Walzem Road has emerged as a strong contender given its troubled history. The roughly five-mile stretch has at least two railroad crossings, and TxDOT identified funding in August for a Walzem Road grade-separation project at Gibbs Sprawl Road, according to KENS 5's reporting. A Bexar County and Alamo Regional Mobility Authority spokesperson said at the time that the Gibbs Sprawl Road project fell under their purview.
The scale of the problem at Walzem Road has been well documented. Over the past five years, the Federal Railroad Administration received 150 reports of trains blocking the road, according to Planetizen. Fifty of those reports said a train had blocked the road for more than an hour, and the outlet's reporting found 29 reports described pedestrians climbing over or under a stopped train, while 27 described first responders unable to cross.
Part of a Bigger Statewide Push
TxDOT welcomed a separate but related pot of money in August — more than $756 million in federal funding for rail grade-separation projects statewide, covering 12 projects in total, Planetizen reported. One of those dozen projects was explicitly tied to the Walzem crossing, though it is not clear from the available evidence whether that August funding and the newly announced $47 million grant referenced by KENS 5 are one and the same project or two distinct efforts.
Beyond the San Antonio-area award, eight other Texas rail-grade projects received funding in the latest round, including $750,000 for a project in Schertz. KENS 5 noted that recipients of earlier rail awards were often located in rural or border sections of Texas, making this round's urban San Antonio focus somewhat of a departure.
A Nearly $10 Billion National Investment
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said USDOT invested nearly $10 billion in American rail in 2026, framing the San Antonio-area grant as part of a much larger federal push. Duffy said the latest investments will improve rail's future and safety for passengers, rail workers, and people sharing transportation corridors.
That figure builds on an earlier infusion of federal rail money this year. The Federal Railroad Administration announced in a statement to the U.S. Department of Transportation that it was investing $2.3 billion into freight and passenger rail projects across 45 states and the District of Columbia. For now, San Antonio residents are left waiting on TxDOT to clarify exactly which crossing will finally get relief.
