Recent Press Releases

Washington — 

U.S. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) and U.S. Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) today applauded the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT’s) decision to award the City of Brookings $18.7 million in critical infrastructure funding under the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) program. Today’s announcement follows requests from the delegation to DOT Secretary Elaine Chao for the project’s funding.

“With the help of the infrastructure funding awarded by DOT, the City of Brookings will be able to move forward with this important project, which will relieve congestion, improve safety, and spur economic growth,” said Thune. “I want to congratulate the Brookings community and its leaders for advocating for this funding, and I’d like to thank Secretary Chao for recognizing how important projects like these are to South Dakota communities.”

“Thanks to Secretary Chao for her commitment to investing in infrastructure projects in South Dakota,” said Rounds. “This BUILD grant will help relieve congestion along an important intersection in the city of Brookings, allowing for easier traffic flow in the area. We’re grateful for all state and local officials who work to make sure our roads and highways are maintained so we can get where we need to go safely and efficiently.”

“Brookings and the surrounding communities have seen tremendous growth over the last several years,” said Johnson. “This BUILD Grant will allow Brookings to continue on a path of economic success and foster opportunity for the I-29 corridor.”

The City of Brookings plans to use the BUILD funding to construct an interchange at the intersection of Interstate 29 and 20th Street. This project would allow for an additional arterial road to provide proper traffic flow between the residential and commercial sectors of the city, taking pressure off of the 6th Street interchange, which has become increasingly congested. It will also provide more convenient access to I-29 for southern Brookings as the area continues to grow.