A Metro-North railroad crossing in New Castle that has racked up more than 180 vehicle accidents in a five-year span is finally getting a fix, with the Federal Railroad Administration selecting $107.7 million to build an overpass across the tracks at Roaring Brook Road. The selection covers final design, right-of-way acquisition and construction for the New York State Department of Transportation project, which would carry cars over Metro-North's Harlem Line instead of across it.
The $107.7 million figure is the largest single award in a broader federal rail-crossing funding package, according to ENR, which reported the project had previously received $2.6 million from the FRA for preliminary engineering and environmental work. As Lohud has described it, the crossing along the Saw Mill River Parkway in New Castle has long been considered dangerous.
A separate account from Westfair put the preliminary funding figure at $2.7 million, describing it as support for preliminary design and engineering to eliminate the Roaring Brook Grade Crossing altogether. That report said the money came through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Rail Crossing Elimination Grant Program. The dossier does not resolve whether the differing $2.6 million and $2.7 million figures reflect separate awards, rounding, or different project stages.
A Crossing With a History of Accidents and Signal Failures
The numbers behind the push for an overpass are striking. Over a five-year period, the Roaring Brook crossing saw more than 180 vehicle accidents and 27 signal malfunctions, the outlet reported, with roughly 100 trains passing through daily. Sen. Charles Schumer has cited an even broader tally, saying the area had seen more than 850 accidents over the preceding 15 years.
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said the crossing near the Saw Mill River Parkway has posed significant safety hazards, created frustrating delays, and limited access for emergency responders, a concern that underscores why state and federal officials have pushed for a permanent fix rather than incremental repairs.
Some reporting has tied the crossing's dangerous reputation to a fatal 2015 crash, though accounts diverge on where that crash occurred. Westfair reported the 2015 accident that killed six people happened at the Roaring Brook crossing, while a separate Yahoo report placed that same fatal crash at the Metro-North crossing in Valhalla. The dossier does not resolve which location was the actual site of the 2015 tragedy.
From a $67 Million Estimate to a $107.7 Million Federal Selection
The overpass concept at Roaring Brook Road is not new. Yahoo reported that a bridge taking cars over the tracks where Roaring Brook Road intersects the Saw Mill River Parkway had been under consideration, with the broader Roaring Brook Grade Elimination Project previously estimated to cost $67 million. Schumer had said he was pressing for that $67 million specifically for the overpass.
Town of New Castle officials have said they were pleased when Schumer threw his support behind securing funds for the overpass, according to The Examiner News. That outlet also noted the crossing sits a short distance from the Saw Mill Parkway and less than a half-mile from Horace Greeley High School and Chappaqua Crossing.
Construction Funding Doesn't Guarantee a Groundbreaking
Even with construction included in its federally supported scope, the Roaring Brook project isn't necessarily ready to bid or break ground, ENR cautioned, noting that the FRA selected 91 railroad-crossing projects nationwide for $1.24 billion in funding but fewer than half carry a scope that includes construction.
The Roaring Brook selection follows a pattern of federal investment in Metro-North safety upgrades across the Hudson Valley. The MTA announced in January 2021 that Metro-North would receive a $19.7 million federal grant for safety improvements at nine grade crossings on the Harlem Line, and in October 2020 a separate $2.5 million grant went toward upgrading the Hudson Avenue crossing in Peekskill, according to the MTA.
