Rivers avenue is a busy major six-lane arterial in north charleston used by over 20,000 vehicles each day and intersects with a CSX rail line at an at-grade rail crossing

The City of North Charleston received a $1.2 million Project Grant from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) under the Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Program (CFDA 20.327), awarded on May 1, 2025, with an ultimate completion date of January 31, 2028. This grant funds a grade separation project that will eliminate the at-grade crossing between Rivers Avenue, a major six-lane arterial in North Charleston carrying over 20,000 vehicles daily, and an adjacent CSX freight rail line. The project directly addresses ongoing safety and mobility conflicts caused by regular train stops that block all traffic lanes twice daily, with expected increases in rail traffic following completion of a new freight container facility.

The deliverables include the design and construction of a grade-separated crossing to replace the existing at-grade intersection, resulting in reduced traffic delays and stoppages, enhanced safety for all road users, and improved mobility for people and goods movement through the region. As a typical RCE Program award, this project encompasses grade separation infrastructure improvements that will provide significant benefits to the local area, region, and nation by resolving transportation conflicts between highway and rail operations.

CSX trains regularly stop on the track blocking all lanes twice a day and rail traffic on this line is expected to increase once a new freight container is completed. The project will address the ongoing conflicts between rivers avenue, a major arterial, and the freight rail line that causes traffic delays and stoppages by defining a cost-effective project that benefits the nation, region, and local area to improve safety and increase the mobility of people and goods. If built, the expected outcomes of eliminating the at-grade crossing and replacing IT a grade-separated grade crossing include reduced delays for roadway users, increased safety, improved mobility for all road users.