Thomas Street project in Wausau is not eligible for federal fund - WAOW - Newsline 9, Wausau News, Weather, Sports

A controversial road project in Wausau is not eligible for federal funding. 

Wausau City Leaders met Wednesday night to discuss the Thomas Street expansion.

It's a project city leaders have been working on for months. But now, officials say they hit a snag with the federal government.

Wausau City Council members tell us the Federal Highway Administration has deemed this project ineligible for federal funding. 

They say it's because the city didn't follow proper guidelines when buying homes along Thomas Street.

This means the project could miss out on millions of dollars. But committee members say they might still have a shot.

"We did go over a couple of options that might still allow us to apply for federal money, and that would be to shift the alignment or to reconstruct within the existing right of way, both of which involved in depth study," said Brad Marquardt, Wausau Public Works and Utilities Director.

Members of the federal highway administration were not at tonight's meeting. 

The Wausau City Council members will discuss the road project again in January. They say they hope to have more options on how to change the project's approach.