Once the new overpass is built, employees of the the Water Pollution Control Plant during won't have to live there during major floods.
Clay Merritt, Assistant Public Works Director, says the US DOT grant will pay for 80% of a major project. It includes eliminating the at-grade railroad crossings at Wapello Avenue and South Concord Street, plus construction of a new bridge over Concord. The overpass will be accessible up to 8.6 feet above flood stage, or about one foot higher than the record set in 2019.
"People who want to drive down there or visit the compost facility, you know, you can now get over that. You don't have to wait for the train because right there at the Wapello at grade crossing that's where the (Canadian Pacific) staging yard is. This would eliminate those blockages. So you can just have a safe and access over, and it doubles that in times of flood will then be able to access our critical infrastructure. So it's dual purpose, which is really nice."
The rest of the money will come from Davenport's agreement with Canadian Pacific Railway due to increased train traffic from its merger with Kansas City Southern.
"As part of that agreement, a separate $2 billion would be set aside that should the city receive a state or federal grant for this particular project. So this one was specifically spelled out that Canadian Pacific would provide an additional $2 million on top of what they're already providing. And that would help cover the city's match to that grant."
The $7.8 million grant is from the Federal Railroad Administration's Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant Program.
