Federal money going to help improve flow of goods along Tenn-Tom

ABERDEEN, Miss. (WCBI) – Federal money is going to help improve the flow of goods along the Tenn-Tom Waterway.

A 4 million dollar multi-modal grant is making it possible to run a rail spur from the Port of Aberdeen to the main Kansas City Southern rail line.

The new line will make it easier to get goods from river barges to their inland destinations and to load barges with freight headed downriver.

The money will also help to upgrade roads servicing the port.

Senator Roger Wicker says the improvements add a link to strengthen the regional supply chain.

“We have the highway connection. We have the water connection all the way down to the Gulf of Mexico and back up to the Tennessee River, and now we have the rail connection. This is going to be a game-changer in terms of bringing rail traffic directly to this port, so it doesn’t have to be shipped down to other ports along the Tenn Tom,” said Senator Roger Wicker, (R) Mississippi.

No start date has been announced for the construction of the railway.