STV helps Columbia, SC win $204 million FRA grant for corridor improvement

STV, a leading professional services firm that plans, designs and manages infrastructure projects across North America, today announced it has played a key role in securing a $204 million Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Railroad Crossing Elimination (RCE) Grant for the City of Columbia, South Carolina. This funding will be used for the Assembly Street Railroad Corridor Separation program – a crucial project that aims to improve rail operations and alleviate vehicle congestion impacted by freight rail traffic in Downtown Columbia.

FRA’s Railroad Crossing Elimination program provides capital funding for rail crossing separation projects that focus on improving the safety and mobility of people and goods. STV, which has provided a range of planning and design services for the Assembly Street Corridor program for more than 15 years, prepared grant documentation on behalf of the City of Columbia, ultimately securing the funds needed to move forward with a preferred alternative for the project – which is expected to be decided later this winter.

“This marks a pivotal moment for a project that has been decades in the making,” said Katie Curry, project manager at STV. “With momentum building, this grant will help bring a transformative project to life while improving mobility in and around South Carolina’s capital city.”

For the first time in the list’s history, South Carolina topped U-Haul’s Growth State Index in 2024 marking it as the fastest growing state in the country, while Columbia is one of the Southeast’s fastest growing cities. In 2009, STV conducted a feasibility study that analyzed viable design alternatives for the Assembly Street phase, located just south of Columbia’s downtown district. Following the feasibility study, STV was contracted by the South Carolina Department of Transportation to provide conceptual engineering, alternatives analyses, public and stakeholder engagement and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) services that will facilitate a choice for a preferred alternative for the project – which is expected to be decided later this winter. To complete the document and engineering, the firm is currently completing conceptual track and roadway design, including structures and preliminary utility and right-of-way evaluations.

STV has a long-standing track record of providing a wide range of engineering design, program management and project management services on transformative transportation infrastructure programs in South Carolina. Marquee projects include the US 17 Bypass at SC 707/Farrow Parkway and Fantasy Harbour Bridge in Myrtle Beach; Folly/Camp Road Intersection Improvements in James Island; and the I-385 Widening Design-Build in Greenville County.