A $10 million federal grant will help fund a project to replace an old bridge over the Mississippi River along the Missouri and Illinois border.
Federal officials announced the grant for the bridge’s construction Monday.
The Highway 54 bridge near Louisiana, Missouri was built in 1928 and is considered structurally deficient and in critical condition. It was closed most of last week so crews could make repairs.
Illinois already committed to funding its half of the new bridge in 2019, but the $63 million project had been delayed because Missouri couldn't pay for its share.
Missouri's top bridge engineer, Dennis Heckman, said Tuesday that with the federal grant, Missouri can now fund the remaining money for the project.