advertisement

---

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) recently reached an agreement with the city of Chadron, Neb., and Nebraska Northwest Railroad regarding a $4.9 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery II (TIGER II) grant for a freight-rail infrastructure project.

Designed to improve freight mobility and safety in the area, the project calls for installing switches, ties, rail and ballast on 7.5 miles of mainline and 1.2 miles of track in Chadron Yard. Work also involves rehabilitating an existing car storage track and upgrading 22 timber bridges.

The project will enable the Nebraska Northwest Railroad to accommodate 286,000-pound rail cars used by regional construction and agricultural industry shippers, according to the USDOT.

The infrastructure upgrades will "make it easier and less expensive for [area] businesses to ship their products,” said Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph Szabo in a prepared statement.