The Arizona Corporation Commission recently gave the go-ahead to safety upgrades at two Union Pacific Railroad crossings in Nogales, Arizona.

The upgrades will include automatic gates and advanced signaling at the Gold Hill Road and at Produce Row crossings in Nogales, commissioners said.

Mechanical gates with LED flashing lights on both sides of the tracks plus better traffic signal preemption will be connected to the railroad's equipment and its existing traffic signal system.

The improvements will be supported by federal funding as a result of inspections by the Arizona Department of Transportation (ADOT) in partnership with the Arizona Corporation Commission’s Railroad Safety Section.

A list compiled by ADOT is used to determine which municipalities throughout the state qualify for upgrades on an annual basis. Eligibility requires a crossing to be located on public roads.

Funding comes from the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) via its Section 130. Within the past few years, two crossings on Grand Avenue in Sun City were enhanced with Section 130 funds. In the last three years, 13 crossing upgrades were completed.

The next series of crossing inspections will begin in January.