Federal money for U.S. 641 OK'd by House

It looks as if a new highway from Marion to Eddyville will receive federal funding to move toward completion thanks in part to the economic stimulus package approved by Congress last month.

Rep. Mike Cherry, a Princeton Democrat, said Friday afternoon on his way home from Frankfort that $27.4 million in federal funding could be shifted to cover Phase I of a new U.S. 641 in the state's revised road plan, speeding up completion of the long-awaited highway. 

The first phase of the 641 project encompasses only Crittenden County. Dirt could now be moved as soon as July 2010 with the federal backing. A second phase, which is only the initial design stages, is included in the road plan for Caldwell County.