FRA GRANTS AWARDED FOR RAIL PROJECTS
For Immediate Release: Thursday, October 15, 2020
Contact: Kristi Sandal, Public Information Officer, Kristi.sandal@state.sd.us
PIERRE, S.D. – Secretary of Transportation Darin Bergquist has been notified the South Dakota Department of Transportation’s grant requests for three rail projects have been approved to receive Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant awards.
“The grants are for state-specific rail capital projects,” said Secretary Bergquist. “These special federal funds are dedicated to rail projects and give us important financial resources to improve the state’s railroad infrastructure which is vital to shippers, rail companies, and citizens.”
The awards come from the Special Transportation Circumstances (STC) Grant Program which is program under the Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and Safety Improvements (CRISI) Program.
The State Railroad Board approved grants requests applications on the following projects for use of the federal STC funds available to South Dakota.
The three projects receiving grants funds are the: State-owned Britton Line Improvement Project (up to $1.87 million) for track improvements between Britton and Aberdeen operated by the Dakota, Missouri Valley & Western Railroad; the Rapid City Pierre and Eastern (RCP&E) owned and operated Rail Improvement Project (up to $2.24 million) for replacing four miles of main line between Fort Pierre and Rapid City, passing through Midland; and the State-owned Mitchell-Rapid City (MRC) Meet and Pass Siding (up to $1.56 million) to construct a new 10,000-foot rail siding east of Highway 45 alongside the mainline east of Kimball operated by Dakota Southern Railway Company.
While these grants are non-competitive, the SDDOT needs to ensure the projects meet eligibility requirements with FRA. The SDDOT will be responsible to administer the grants and oversee the work. Each grant is funding with a maximum federal amount not to exceed 80 percent of the total cost of a project. The required 20 percent non-Federal match amount is being paid by the respective private entity requesting grant funds.
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