The Department of Transportation's Agri-Business Access Grants Program is a means for local governments to address road needs associated with new agri-business, such as ethanol plants, and large scale elevators. In many cases, these new agri-businesses create additional truck traffic that an existing road may not be structurally able to handle. Each fiscal year the state Transportation Commission allocates $1.0 million in state highway funds for this program.

• Grants apply to construction of roads meeting minimum program criteria and serving as primary access to an agriculture related businesses.
• The state provides sixty percent of the project costs on a reimbursement basis.
• State participation is limited to roads totaling one mile or less in length.
• The community is responsible for all right-of-way acquisitions, utility costs and design and construction engineering cost, the community is responsible to let the project to bid.

Eligibility requirements:

A local unit of government (city, town, township, county, or tribe) may file an application with the Secretary of Transportation. Applications are reviewed by the Office of Local Transportation Programs based on the following criteria

• Commitment for the start of actual construction of the industrial or economic development facility within six months of the date of commission approval; or
• Evidence that new construction or expansion of an industrial or economic development facility that meets other program criteria has been documented within the past year and that previous grants have not been obtained based on the same justification;
• Planning and consideration was given to location based on its impact to the current infrastructure (i.e., roads, bridges, water, sanitary sewer, etc.);
• A minimum of five (5) new jobs will be created by the industrial or economic development; and
• There is a minimum committed capital investment of at least five (5) times the required state participation costs.

Deadline:

Grant applications are accepted at any time.