Commissioners met and tabled the discussion for another 2 weeks
AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Will Potter County or can Potter County help fund the overpass at 3rd and Grand? That question will have to wait as the commission tabled the item calling for that funding for another 2 weeks.
The 3rd and Grand overpass project is intended to ease congestion caused by railroad traffic at that intersection in N.E. Amarillo. The project is moving forward largely due to the federal stimulus funding the city and TX Dot received, but according to county officials the city and possibly the county will have to put in 1.8 million dollars to help complete the bridge.
"We're going to come back in two weeks and see what we have, it's a matter of where would we take money out of our existing budget? This budget already has a 1.2 million dollar deficit," said Potter County Judge Arthur Ware.
The bridge is a hot topic for the county as they try to decide if and how much they can provide to help the city with this project.
"Nobody is opposed to this project, it's a good project. It's a matter of where do you get the money? Times are tough, the city didn't raise taxes, we didn't raise taxes, we're all in a financial bind and the problem is, the federal government has held this carrot out there and we're nibbling on the carrot trying to figure out how to get the rest of the carrot, and we need to figure out where we can get the funds to put up, to make this project happen," said Judge Ware.
The total cost of the overpass at 3rd and Grand is in the neighborhood of 9 million dollars.
