Moline approves USDOT BUILD reapplication for I‑74 Riverfront project with $644,392 local match

The Moline City Council on Feb. 3 authorized staff to apply for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FY2026 BUILD program to support the I‑74 Riverfront Reimagined project, ratifying a narrower, more competitive application and confirming the city’s local match.

Dawn (city staff) told council the city was not selected in the prior BUILD cycle but received a debrief from USDOT and used that feedback to scale the project back to transportation‑related design and engineering. The federal request was reduced by more than 50% and the updated application meets BUILD’s current requirement of a 20% local match.

“The match totals $644,392 or 20% of the total project cost as reflected in that project budget,” Dawn said. She told council the matching funds will come from the special capital improvement budget.

Council members asked which scoring areas had been lower in the prior application; Dawn said the project had previously scored highly on four of eight criteria and identified safety and environment among the areas to strengthen. After discussion, a motion to authorize submission and to empower the mayor, city clerk and staff to complete the application passed.

Why it matters: A successful BUILD award would provide federal dollars for transportation elements of the riverfront redevelopment; the council’s approval confirms local funding and authorizes staff to pursue the federal grant. The application’s narrower focus and demonstrated local match are intended to improve competitiveness in the program’s evaluation.