The U.S. Department of Transportation announced a $1.4 million grant to improve New Hampshire’s Northcoast Rail Corridor on Friday.
Now, we’re talking freight, not passenger rail, but Federal Rail Administrator Joseph Szabosays the grant will affect ordinary people, too:
It removes trucks from highways, which not only removes congestion and increases safety, it reduces maintenance costs on those roads.
Szabo says this is one of 52 projects nationwide funded by the US DOT to stimulate economic recovery.
By repairing and refurbishing 42 miles of railroad track between Ossipee and Rollinsford, the N.H. Northcoast Corporation says it will be able to move more tonnage of sand, gravel and propane at a time.
In addition to the federal grant money, Northcoast will invest $450,000 of its own dollars into the project, while the state of N.H. will contribute $150,000.