Red Willow County will pay about $9,000 of the $240,000 concrete crossing with gates that will be built on railroad tracks on Red Willow County Road 392 and Drive 717 southeast of the Southwest High School between McCook and Indianola.

County roads superintendent Gary Dicenta told county commissioners Monday morning that Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad and the Nebraska Department of Roads will share the cost of building the crossing that will replace a crossing that is guarded by crossarms, flashing lights and bells.

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Dicenta said the two roads and the existing crossing will be rebuilt to create a more definitive 90-degree angle. The county may need to acquire additional right-of-way, he said, from landowners Carlton and John O'Dea.

Commissioners signed agreements Monday with Miller and Associates to provide engineering plans for the project, and with BNSF and the DOR to cooperate on the project.

The railroad has signed the agreement, Dicenta said, and the state will sign it when plans and estimates are finalized.