NEWS -- Transportation economic development grant will support 12 new jobs in Sheridan Township

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                           THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017

 

CONTACT: Michael Leon, TEDF Program Manager, MDOT Office of Economic Development, 517-241-2568

 

Transportation economic development grant will

support 12 new jobs in Sheridan Township

 

April 6, 2017 -- The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) has awarded a state Transportation Economic Development Fund (TEDF) Category A grant totaling $98,934 to the Calhoun County Road Department (CCRD) that will support a $105,000,000 expansion of The Andersons Albion Ethanol, LLC, in Sheridan Township, resulting in 12 new jobs.

              Located on B Drive North in Sheridan Township, The Andersons Albion Ethanol, LLC, is a fuel-grade ethanol production facility. Also produced at the facility are products used in the food, beverage, animal feed, and bio-diesel industries. B Drive North, which is not an all-season road, provides the only roadway access to the facility and is in poor condition. When seasonal weight restrictions are in effect, commercial vehicles must haul reduced loads to and from the facility, leading to an increased number of commercial vehicle trips and higher shipping costs. To address this problem, the CCRD will widen, resurface and add paved shoulders to B Drive North from M-199 (Michigan Avenue) to approximately 750 feet west of Michigan Avenue. The company, in planning its expansion, considered other locations but chose to invest in Sheridan Township due in part to this commitment to improve access to the facility.

              The overall cost of the project is $123,792, including $98,934 in TEDF Category A funding and $24,858 from the CCRD.

              "We are grateful to the CCRD and MDOT for this grant that will help to improve access to our facility," said Doug DeLand, plant manager for The Andersons Albion Ethanol, LLC. "This will enable us to continue to serve area farmers and ethanol customers in the region."

              Enacted in 1987 and reauthorized in 1993, the TEDF helps finance highway, road and street projects that are critical to the movement of people and products, and getting workers to their jobs, materials to growers and manufacturers, and finished goods to consumers.

              TEDF "Category A" or "Targeted Industries Program" grants provide state funding for public roadway improvements that allow road agencies to respond quickly to the transportation needs of expanding companies and eliminate inadequate roadways as an obstacle to private investment and job creation. Eligible road agencies include MDOT, county road commissions, cities and villages. More information about the program is available online at www.michigan.gov/tedf.

###

 

Download MDOT's Mi Drive traffic information app: www.michigan.gov/drive

www.michigan.gov/drive  | http://www.twitter.com/MDOT_Southwest |  www.facebook.com/MichiganDOT