The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a $10 million grant to the City of Sedalia to extend its existing railroad tracks as announced by Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler and Senator Roy Blunt on Friday, December 7.
According to a news release, both politicians reportedly helped Sedalia win a BUILD Grant (Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development) from the U.S. Department of Transportation to extend the existing railroad system to the city’s new industrial park.
In 2016, the Rail-Served Industrial Sites Task Force was launched in Sedalia to determine ways to bring more manufacturing to the Pettis County area, thus developing the idea of establishing a new industrial park. To make this project possible, the task force would have to extend existing railways in the area to the new industrial park for easy shipment of their product.
In November 2017, Nucor Steel LLC, became the first tenant of the new industrial park. The company is currently building a $400 million rebar micro mill facility in Sedalia, which is estimated to bring 250 new jobs with an average salary of $65,000 to the area. Reportedly, this was one of the largest recruitment projects central Missouri has landed in ten years.