Friday, December 04, 2009 (Washington, D.C.)

The Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Company (CRANDIC) will receive $6.965 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation for repair of the CRANDIC railroad bridge in Cedar Rapids, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced today.

The bridge sustained substantial damage during flooding of the Cedar River in 2008, resulting in the disruption of freight shipments in the area.,/p>

“The people of Cedar Rapids depend on railroads to deliver the goods and supplies that are so critical to the local economy,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said. “We are pleased this grant will help to get the city’s rail service back to full steam.”

CRANDIC's infrastructure sustained $11 million in damage from the spring floods. Of that, the CRANDIC bridge suffered $9 million in damages. The grant is designed to cover 80 percent of the total cost of the project. The award will rebuild a portion of the bridge, repair or replace damaged signals, and repair the main line infrastructure.

“Short line railroads are the lifeblood for industries in many communities, and this program has successfully shown it can help them recover from disaster,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo.

Funding comes from the Consolidated Security, Disaster Assistance, and Continuing Appropriations Act 2009 for the Railroad Rehabilitation and Repair competitive grant program. The award requires a $1.741 million match by the Iowa DOT.