Department of Transportation Grant Would Expedite Freight Movement Through the Delta
U.S. Senators Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Cindy Hyde-Smith, R-Miss., today announced the award of $71,460,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to ) to construct 15.6 miles of the Greenville Bypass Freight Corridor, which will complete a US 82 bypass from near the Greenville Bridge to Leland east of Greenville. The project builds on work initiated by the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT) to connect the Mississippi River bridge to an interchange with MS 1.
“Completion of the Greenville Bypass is good for Mississippi and will have a significant impact for Greenville, the Delta, and the communities along U.S. 82,” Wicker said. “This major award from the U.S. Department of Transportation is the final piece of a multi-phase effort by state and local officials to ensure this highway remains a source of economic vitality for our state.”
“Work on the Leland-Greenville bypass started more than a decade ago, which makes this large grant to complete the project significant. Local and state support, along with the Trump administration’s attention to improving rural infrastructure, was key to winning this award,” said Hyde-Smith, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Completing the bypass will change this region by taking heavy trucks off Greenville city streets and relying on the bypass to move freight more efficiently through Washington County. The project can also serve as an economic engine to bring more commerce and jobs to the region.”
The DOT award is part of the Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) discretionary grant program. Today’s announcement marks the start of a 60-day congressional review period, after which the funding would be made available. It supports the DOT’s ROUTES (Rural Opportunities to Use Transportation for Economic Success) initiative to address disparities in rural transportation infrastructure to improve safety and economic competitiveness in all parts of the U.S.
Congress designed the INFRA grant program to provide dedicated discretionary funding support to critical infrastructure projects across the country.
Press Release
6/15/2020
Magnolia Tribune
