The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation will invest $3.4 million in two rail improvement projects in Berks County that will enhance freight mobility.
The Berks County Redevelopment Authority will receive $2.6 million to replace 1,600 feet of existing track, construct 2,430 feet of new track and a siding to serve the Boyertown Foundry.
H&K Group Inc. will received $827,000 to rehabilitate and improve the track siding at the Birdsboro Quarry.
PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll said these investments — funded through the Rail Transportation Assistance Program and the Rail Freight Assistance Program — aim to improve the infrastructure that connects Pennsylvania businesses and communities.
“Pennsylvania’s rail freight network supports family sustaining jobs and connects Pennsylvania communities to the global economy while bolstering local economic development,” Carroll said in a press release. “These investments to expand and improve the network will create opportunities for generations of Pennsylvanians to come.”
Pennsylvania is the only state with a dedicated rail freight grant program in the country.