Missouri Receives $3 Million Federal Grant For Butler County Highway Improvements

Topics:  United States Numbered Highways

Federal Highway Administration
23 March 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, March 23, 2006
Contact: Stephanie Roth
(202) 366-0660
FHWA 03-06g

Washington, DC – Missouri is receiving a $3 million federal transportation grant to widen U.S. 67 to four lanes near Poplar Bluff in Butler County, U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta said today.

The grant is part of a federal program that supports transportation infrastructure and economic development in the Delta region of the U.S.

"Investing in new road projects will help countless travelers and residents alike better connect to the heart, spirit and soul of the Delta region," said Mineta. "The grant we’re announcing today is a wise investment in the economic vitality and quality of life in Butler County."

The Department of Transportation is providing more than $24 million in grants to eight states in the Delta region. In addition to Missouri, states receiving grants are Alabama, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi and Tennessee.

The highway, transit and safety law signed by President Bush in August 2005 provides an additional $40 million for transportation projects in the Delta region. It also provides $1 million to the Delta Regional Authority for a study of transportation needs and priorities in the eight states. The Delta Regional Authority is a federal-state partnership established to further economic development in the Delta.