Yuma County seeks grant to fix Fortuna Road rail crossing

Fortuna Road drivers near Highway 95 have spent months dealing with trains that stop traffic, weather-related closures and long detours that county officials say have already generated hundreds of complaints. Yuma County now wants more than $1 million for a planning study that could replace or separate the railroad crossing with an overpass, underpass or bridge, a move officials say would ease daily congestion and reduce crash risk.

The county says the problem reaches beyond frustration on the road. Backups at the Union Pacific Railroad crossing also slow emergency vehicles heading toward Yuma Proving Ground and the North 95 area, adding time to calls that can already depend on a fast route north of town. Residents have described missed school and work trips, and one local driver said the crossing could make him late picking up his daughter and force him onto Araby Road instead.

The Fortuna Road project is part of a wider effort to address three Union Pacific crossings in Yuma County: Avenue 9E, Fortuna Road and County 29E. In January 2025, the Federal Railroad Administration selected Yuma County for up to $640,000 in planning funds under the Railroad Crossing Elimination grant program, with Yuma County, the City of Yuma and the Town of Wellton expected to provide a 20 percent non-federal match. The federal work would examine whether the crossings can be grade-separated and would develop design concepts for each site.

County officials said the earlier application was driven in part by the county’s rural layout and by the need to improve safety, mobility and emergency response. If the money comes through, county leaders said they hoped to begin work in early 2025. If the grant is denied, the county would still be left with an at-grade crossing that has repeatedly disrupted traffic, slowed emergency access and forced drivers to wait on trains or take longer routes around the area.

Weather has already shown how fragile the corridor is. Union Pacific closed the Fortuna Road crossing on February 6, 2024, because of rainy weather, after the crossing had also been reported closed in January 2024 due to flooding, with no clear reopening time given. For drivers who use Fortuna Road every day, the issue is no longer theoretical. It is the difference between an on-time commute and a delay that can ripple through school drop-offs, work shifts and emergency response across northern Yuma County.