• June 12th, 2025

The Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) provides funding for states to improve safety at public crossings through the Railway-Highway Crossings Program (RHCP). GAO found that states used RHCP funding to address safety risks. For example, states added or upgraded existing equipment at crossings—such as bells, lights, and gates—from 2019 through 2023. During the same period, states reported that 77 percent of projects had zero crashes at the crossing before and after using program funding. State officials told GAO that RHCP projects help address the overall safety risks at crossings.

Read the full study here.