SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City’s long-planned viaduct over railroad tracks could be in jeopardy after a federal agency rejected a request for nearly $15 million in funding. The Sioux City Journal reports the U.S. Department of Transportation denied the bid for a $14.8 million grant that would have covered nearly three-quarters of the estimated $20.7 million project.

Officials have long supported the viaduct, which they say would eliminate lengthy delays by motorists waiting for trains and could spur more growth in an industrial area bordering the Floyd River. City Manager Bob Padmore says the project is “pretty cost-prohibitive” without federal funding.

Economic development department Director Marty Dougherty says the city will seek federal money for the viaduct next year.