BROOKINGS, S.D.(KJJQ)- Ribbon cutting ceremonies were held Wednesday morning for the new Brookings I-29 interchange at 20th Street South. The event was held near the new interchange.

This third Brookings interchange has been open since July 29th. It was made possible in large part because of a federal BUILD grant for 18.7 million dollars, awarded in 2019.

South Dakota Senator John Thune says this is the product of teamwork and was critical for a number of reasons.

Congressman Dusty Johnson also mentioned the teamwork needed to get this done.

Brookings Mayor Ope Niemeyer thanked the congressional delegation for their help getting this done.

He says this would never have happened without the federal grant. The city and county each contributed two-million dollars and businesses kicked in $700,000.