SALEM–The city will be moving forward with an application for federal funding to build an overpass over the railroad crossing on South Lincoln Avenue.

Council last discussed the project in its Oct. 21 meeting, voting unanimously to approve a resolution supporting and authorizing the submission of an application to the Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program for project funding. During that meeting Mayor Cyndi Baronzzi Dickey said that the railroad crossing on South Lincoln sees an average of 64 trains passing through daily –and as the city’s primary traffic corridor this which causes frequent traffic slowdowns, including for first responders traveling to and from the Salem Regional Medical Center. An overpass would alleviate those issues.

On Tuesday, council authorized the submission of another grant application for the project, a joint application with the Ohio Rail Development Commission (ODRC) to the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) National Railroad Partnership Program/Federal-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail Grant Program. That submission also locks in a commitment to a $500,000 local contribution to the project, split evenly between Salem, and Columbiana County. With the ODRC committing to contribute $5 million, the application will seek federal funding to cover the remaining $19.5 million required to meet the estimated $25 million price tag of the overpass.

City Service Safety Director Joe Cappuzzello said that the project “was a tremendous opportunity that has been in the works for many many years,” noting that the city’s $250,000 contribution represented less than 1% of the total project cost.

“Our share of it is less than 1%, which is unbelievable. It was a lot higher than that when we started, so we were able to negotiate it down to that, and we are not going to get a better deal,” said Cappuzzello.

Cappuzzello said that if there were no complications once the grant was submitted that the project would begin construction in January 2032.

The city council will meet next at 7 p.m. on Feb. 17.