City of Beatrice hits the jackpot, with federal RAISE grant

BEATRICE – The City of Beatrice will get getting a huge federal boost toward the proposed Court Street Corridor project.

Mayor Bob Morgan says the city has learned it will be awarded a $21.3 million federal grant through the RAISE program….Rebuilding American Infrastructure With Sustainability and Equity.  Morgan said this year, the city hired a Washington-based consultant to help search out grants like the one the city is receiving.

"And, with one swing....I think our contract's for $120,000 and we were able to take care of that. That's pretty small, compared to what we just got."

Morgan says he’s not immediately sure when the city would receive the funding, but now the focus will be on designing a plan for the Court Street Corridor.
"We basically have to go through a design process starting in September. It's probably going to be three or four years before it would be completed...or maybe even five. We will put a solid plan together to get it done."

Officials have spoken of moving truck traffic a block south of Court Street and making the downtown area more pedestrian friendly and improving safety.
The grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation will help with a project adopted by the Beatrice City Council in August of last year to transform access and safety along Court Street.
Morgan said the initiative will positively impact the community for years to come. He said the city looks forward to working with residents, stakeholders and the U.S. D.O.T to move forward with the project.
The Court Street Access and Safety Transportation initiative, in the planning phase for over a decade….will reroute U.S. Highway 135 a block south to Market Street….to improve overall safety and capitalize on economic opportunities and enhance growth.