Mooresville Receives $13.6M Federal Grant For East-West Connector

MOORESVILLE, NC — Mooresville has been awarded a $13.6 million federal grant to go help build a new highway anticipated to help accelerate business growth in the region, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced Tuesday.

The road project, dubbed the Silicon Shores East-West Connector, would help build a highway from NC Highway 115 to the Interstate 77 Exit 31 area at Langtree Road in Mooresville, which Iredell County officials say will help spur development by attracting tech companies to the area, the Mooresville Citizen reported.

The $13,609,131 grant was part of a nationwide block of federal infrastructure grants totaling $900 million awarded to 55 projects in 35 states, USDOT said Nov. 12. The grants were awarded to surface transportation infrastructure projects that have significant impact on local communities.

The Mooresville grant was one of three awarded in North Carolina totaling $51.1 million, USDOT said.

“The Administration is targeting [Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants] to repair, rebuild, and revitalize significant infrastructure projects across the country,” U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao said in a statement.

USDOT also awarded two other projects in North Carolina:

I-95 Resiliency and Innovative Technology Improvements

• Robeson and Cumberland Counties, North Carolina
• Grant Funding: $22,500,000
• Estimated Total Project Costs: $685,115,000

Transportation Accessibility, Safety and Connectivity (TASC) Project

• Greenville, North Carolina
• Grant Funding: $15,000,000
• Estimated Total Project Costs: $24,000,000