Proposed picture of an overhead parkway the city has been working on to create safer access for pedestrians, bikers and residents who live near rail lines.
Photo courtesy of City of Dixon

DIXON, CA (MPG) - It has been nearly two decades since the Parkway Boulevard rail safety overcrossing idea was conceived.

The timeline that began in 2004 authorizing a preliminary design, environmental documentation and other procedures is projected to end in 2025, with the final construction completed. According to a 2022 engineering report, this year is when city officials propose seeking federal and state funds for the project needed for multiple reasons. 

The first reason is a growing population. The report states that by 2025, the city will need an additional 1,587 housing units for up to 5,000 people.

Second, Dixon has no existing grade-separating rail crossings, and the city has a "history of rail safety issues, with Dixon recording two fatalities over the past 10 years," according to the report.

Third, up to 40 fast-speeding trains are threatening residential areas by limiting restricted emergency access and evacuation routes to downtown.

Decreased fatalities, improved emergency response time, and safe rail crossing for bikes and pedestrians are a few of the project benefits, according to the report.

The project will also close an existing at-grade crossing at Pitt School Road while supporting capital corridor improvements and future high-speed rail lines.

In 2022, the city of Dixon committed $6.3 million, with an estimated $34.5 million remaining to complete the project by next year. Existing project funding included $6.3 million in Local Transportation Impact fees and $3.8 in Regional Transportation Impact fees, totaling $9.8 million.

While the project needs and benefits remain, city of Dixon senior civil engineer Brandon Rodriguez said, financial figures have changed slightly over the last year. As of 2022, the city had invested several million on the project but now, Rodriquez said, based on the current design, if awarded the grant, the construction cost shortfall is approximately $25 million and the total remaining project cost is approximately $31.1 million.

According to Rodriguez, the Solano Transportation Authority has committed to providing $1.9 million in Regional Transportation Impact Fees to support the project's completion.

"These fees are being accounted for as part of the city's proposed non-federal match funds for grant applications," Rodriguez said.

The most recent financial move was made at the March 5 meeting when the council adopted a resolution authorizing a budget transfer of $2,075,000 from the Transportation Impact Fee Fund to the Parkway Boulevard Overcrossing Project for the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) transportation grant.

"Recently, the city accepted the western embankment project," Rodriguez said of the October 2023 resolution. "The funds were transferred to allow for a 20% match in the event the city is awarded the RAISE grant."

Rodriquez said the budget transfer was approved from the transportation fund to the project fund to make 20% match funding available.

"The overcrossing project will continue to go through the design process with consultant T.Y. Lin and tentatively plan for design completion by the end of the year," Rodriquez said.

According to the grant website, Rodriquez said, the selections will be announced by June 27.

“The Parkway Boulevard overcrossing will be a huge benefit to our community by increasing safety and helping to relieve traffic congestion,” Rodriguez said.