GALESBURG - In what was described as a "good earmark," $500,000 has been placed in a federal appropriations bill to be used for a railroad overpass bridge on North Seminary Street.

Rep. Phil Hare, D-Rock Island, made the announcement Friday afternoon at Galesburg's Welcome Center on East Main Street, saying the money is in the Fiscal Year 2008 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill. The full House could vote on the bill later this month.

Hare gave credit to his colleague from across the aisle, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Peoria, for helping to secure the funds.

"Nobody labels this a Democratic project or a Republican project," he said.

Tim Butler, a staff member for LaHood, who could not attend, said the Illinois delegation does a good job of working in a bipartisan manner for such efforts.

"These are earmark funds," he said, noting the term has gotten a bad image when used for suspect projects in home districts. "This is a good earmark."

The city has been holding a series of public meetings to discuss building overpasses, concentrating on North Seminary Street and West Main Street. Such bridges would cut traffic congestion and allow emergency services to reduce response times throughout the city.

The cost for the North Seminary Street overpass is roughly $14 million for design and construction. Some money has been secured from the Illinois Commerce Commission and BNSF, but more federal funds will be needed when construction begins perhaps in 2010.

"I hope to be able to come back here a year from now with Ray and talk about some additional funding," Hare said.

Mayor Gary Smith called Hare's announcement "a real good kickstart for this project."

The earmarked money seems to indicate a decision has been made regarding the location of the overpass, although public meetings have addressed a Broad Street overpass, relocating the track outside of town and even doing nothing.

Asked why money is targeted for a specific project not yet finalized, Smith admitted, "Technically, nothing's been decided."

However, he said, putting an overpass on North Seminary Street seems a "no-brainer."

"This is a step in the right direction because we have the House of Representatives sanctioning the need," he said.

State Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Gilson, attended the announcement. He has been tour guide for both Hare and LaHood on visits to the city to see the railyard and the possible overpass sites, selling them on the idea.

The overpasses, he said, will make the BNSF yard in Galesburg a more likely candidate for expansion by the railroad because more trains will be able to move through town faster. That means additional jobs for Galesburg and Knox County.

"(BNSF is) looking at more expansion somewhere," he said. "We want it to be Galesburg. We want to keep Illinois as the rail hub of the nation. This enhances that."