Underpass construction in Moorhead, Minn., is among several projects that will receive a part of $273.9 million in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation for improvement and expansion of transportation infrastructure.
The Department of Transportation’s funding through the new Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program will help communities complete transportation projects that will improve quality of life, a news release said.
“In Moorhead, MN, we are making critical investments to construct two underpasses that will eliminate at-grade railroad crossings on 11th Street downtown,” Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg said on Twitter. “This work will increase safety, reduce emissions and help reduce delays in emergency response time.”
As part of a larger project to improve U.S. Highway 10 and U.S. Highway 75 through downtown Moorhead, Minn., the Downtown Moorhead Grade Separation Project was awarded $26,309,600, a fact sheet said.
“The new underpasses are expected to reduce total train crossing exposures by around 35%, reducing the risk of downtown train-vehicle crashes and preventing life-threatening delays in emergency response times caused by rail blockages,” the fact sheet said. “Reduced congestion as a result of the new underpasses will also help reduce vehicle emissions in the downtown area – leading to improved air quality for Moorhead residents.”
Buttigieg said funding through the Rural Surface Transportation Grant Program will create economic opportunity for people in rural communities that have been without modern transportation, according to the release.
“Infrastructure investments haven’t always reached rural America, leaving far too many roads, bridges and other parts of the transportation system across our country in disrepair,” Buttigieg said in the release.
Applicants requested from the Department of Transportation approximately $10 billion, above the nearly $300 million in available 2022 funding, the release said.
“Applications were evaluated based on several criteria, including project readiness, cost-effectiveness and whether the project supported critical goals like enhancing safety, increasing mobility and reliability, improving resiliency and restoring infrastructure to a state of good repair,” the release said.
