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The comptroller is hereby authorized to accept from the federal government or any department or agency thereof any moneys in any way granted, allocated or apportioned for the purpose of highway-railroad grade crossing eliminations or the reconstruction or repair of existing grade crossing separation structures and deposit them in accordance with existing federal or state law or rules or regulations applicable thereto and the same shall be available for the purposes granted, allocated or apportioned. Such moneys shall be available to reimburse the state for its expenses in connection with a grade crossing elimination project including incidental improvements rendered necessary or desirable by such project. The expense of net benefit to be borne by the railroad company shall be the lesser of (1) the amount of net benefit determined by the commissioner in accordance with this act or (2) the difference between the cost of the project exclusive of incidental improvements and the amount of federal aid for the project exclusive of incidental improvements.

accordance with this act or (2) the difference between the cost of the project exclusive of incidental improvements and the amount of federal aid for the project exclusive of incidental improvements. State moneys made available for federal aid grade crossing elimination projects may be used in the first instance to pay the costs of said projects.