Under its Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) grant program, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) recently proposed awarding $905.25 million to 24 projects, including projects relevant to grain shippers, in 18 states.
For example, the city of Dubuque, IA, would receive $5 million to increase capacity and improve transloading among barge, rail, and truck for fertilizer, grain, and other bulk products at the Port of Dubuque.
According to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Waterborne Commerce Statistics, the Port of Dubuque handled an annual average of 873,080 tons of grain by barge between 2015 and 2019.
In addition, North Dakota’s Department of Transportation would receive $16.75 million to construct passing lanes along approximately 165 miles of two-lane US-52 between Carrington, ND, and slightly north of Kenmare, ND.
This highway segment is part of the Minot, ND, to Chicago, IL, corridor that a December 2020 USDA report flagged as having long and unreliable travel times.
The corridor is key to farm-to-elevator soybean shipments and eastward wheat movements to Minneapolis and Chicago. Congress has 60 days to review DOT’s proposed project recipients, after which DOT can begin obligating funding.
