Feds turn down initial request for Normal pedestrian underpass grant

Posted on March 12, 2018
Uptown Station
Normal City Manager Mark Peterson said the town will likely submit another grant request.
(WJBC file photo)

By Greg Halbleib

NORMAL – The Town of Normal has been turned down for a $16 million federal grant to assist construction of a pedestrian underpass at the uptown railroad tracks, but town officials say they’ll try again.

Normal City Manager Mark Peterson said there was not much funding for this round of grants under the TIGER, or Transportation Improvement Generating Economic Recovery, program.

“It’s usually hard to get a grant with your first submittal,” Peterson told WJBC’s Sam Wood. “I think there was $500 million available in this TIGER grant program, which is a lot of money to you and me but in terms of a federal grant program, it’s a pretty small program.”

Peterson said federal transportation representatives gave town officials some options.

“We weren’t terribly surprised although still a little disappointed,” Peterson added. “But the mayor, (incoming city manager) Pam (Reece) and (council member) Chemberly Cummings met with representatives of the Federal Railroad Administration and they gave some good ideas on how we might pursue funding with some other programs within the USDOT.”

Town officials have said they would need some sort of financial help to pursue the underpass project.

Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].

 

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