The City of Temple is looking to use potential T-Splost funds as seed money for a new railroad crossing near the downtown business district. In recent years Temple has been plagued by stopped trains blocking all intersections within the city limits. The final list of potential T-Splost projects approved by council, this week, included matching funds that would be required by the Georgia Department of Transportation and Norfolk Southern to build a new crossing.
The proposed crossing would be a short distance north of downtown. The grade level crossing would require changes to Highway 113 and would require widening Bell Sstreet. This project could also close current crossings at Sage Street and Rome Street that were deemed dangerous by city officials.
Temple also recognized that this project is preliminary and could take 12-15 years to come to fruition.
If the new transportation special purpose local option sales tax is approved by Carroll County voters on November ballots, Temple will receive an estimated $2.2 million over the five year run.