The Delta Regional Authority (DRA) has announced the funding of a project at the University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville that aims to provide a secure and controlled environment for training the next generation of commercial vehicle drivers.
The DRA said on Tuesday it was awarding $509,000 to UACCB to develop a commercial driving range for the training. The project hopes to address the increasing demand for skilled drivers in the region while fostering economic development and job creation.
The City of Newport was also awarded over $378,000 by the DRA for a public transportation infrastructure project that will support a new business development opportunity in the downtown area and ensure the workforce can access the workplace.
The funding was part of a $3.75 million investment the DRA made in eight state projects through its States’ Economic Development Assistance Program (SEDAP), in collaboration with the State of Arkansas.
SEDAP aims to improve basic public infrastructure, transportation infrastructure, business development, and job training in communities across the DRA’s eight-state service region, the authority said in the release announcing the investment.
Funding for the program was made available, in part, by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Joe Biden as part of his Investing in America agenda. According to the DRA release, the agenda “aims to grow local economies from the middle out and bottom up and to create more resilient and healthier communities across the country.”
The DRA said it coordinated directly with the Office of the Governor for the State of Arkansas and the state’s Local Development Districts for program funding implementation.
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