{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=1540f286-59b3-4832-babe-6e1775ee90c3", "COCHRAN, WICKER:  $18.2 MILLION IN TRANSPORTATION GRANTS FOR MISS.", "2013-09-05", "2013", "2013-09", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Thad Cochran", "C000567", "www.cochran.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senators Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) today reported the approval of more than $18.2 million in federal grant funding for transportation projects in Mississippi, including $14.0 million for the Mississippi Export Rail Line in Jackson County.\r\nThe rail line project, as well as a $4.2 million grant to strengthen the I-20 Vicksburg Mississippi River Bridge, will be funded through FY2013 congressional appropriations approved for the U.S. Department of Transportation\u2019s National Infrastructure Investment or \u201cTIGER\u201d program.\u00a0 The Mississippi Senators supported applications from Mississippi for this funding.\r\n\u201cThese transportation grants are geared toward improving transportation efficiency, public safety and our economy,\u201d said Cochran, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee.\u00a0 \u201cThe rail line in Jackson County, in particular, will not only improve public safety but create new economic opportunities for industries from the coast to the Midwest and Canada to ship products through the Port of Pascagoula.\u201d\r\n\u201cIncreasing the productivity and safety of these transportation lifelines will help lead Mississippi\u2019s economic future,\u201d Wicker said. \u201cEnhancements on the Mississippi Export Rail Line and Vicksburg Mississippi River Bridge are critical to Mississippi\u2019s economy. These two grants will make a significant impact on improving transportation in Mississippi.\u201d\r\nThe $14.0 million grant for the Port of Pascagoula Intermodal Improvement project was awarded to the Jackson County Port Authority to support relocation of the Mississippi Export Rail Line between Moss Point and Pascagoula.\u00a0 The project would entail using an existing railroad right-of-way to create a more direct rail route between the two communities.\u00a0 By redirecting the line through less-travelled areas, the project would eliminate 16 at-grade rail-highway crossings now associated with the railroad.\u00a0 The improved track configuration would allow the line to handle 60 to 75-car unit trains and facilitate shipments to and from the upper Midwest and Canada.\u00a0 The Jackson County Port Authority application has broad support from the local communities and the State of Mississippi.\r\nThe $4.2 million grant to the Mississippi Department of Transportation to rehabilitate the I-20 Vicksburg Mississippi River Bridge is intended to improve the resiliency of the bridge, which has experienced stress due to movement of the pier foundations both along and perpendicular to the bridge.\u00a0 According to the U.S. Transportation Department, the work will improve the ability of the bridge truss and deck to withstand minor lateral movements.\r\nLINK:  \u2022\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER Program:\u00a0 http://www.dot.gov/tiger\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=1540f286-59b3-4832-babe-6e1775ee90c3"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.6411212272942066, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}