Congressman Kevin McCarthy announced Wednesday a plan to award the city of Bakersfield with $50 million to complete the Centennial Corridor State Route 58/99 Freight Improvement Project through the Infrastructure For Rebuilding America Program.
Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao would award the grant, according to a press release. Congressman McCarthy announced Chao's intent to do so.
The Centennial Corridor Project was initially conceived in 2005 and was funded through the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act. According to the release, Congressman McCarthy sent a letter to Secretary Chao in support of funding the project in November 2017.
Once completed, the Centennial Corridor Project will connect Westside Parkway and State Route 58. Congressman McCarthy released the following statement:
“With this announcement, President Trump is keeping his promise to revitalize America’s infrastructure. The City of Bakersfield will now enter the final sprint on a project that has been over ten years in the making. I cannot understate how important this is for Bakersfield, and I am thrilled that our dream of a better-connected city will soon be a reality for those who live and work in our community. The Central Valley and Bakersfield are some of the most critical commerce zones in the State of California, and this project will save both commercial freight truckers and local motorists countless hours on the road each year, not only making our daily commutes shorter, but also reducing emissions for a cleaner, healthier Valley. I applaud the Administration, the Department of Transportation, the City of Bakersfield, the Kern Council of Governments, and all those who made this achievement possible.”
