New details about Montgomery, Ala.'s $36.6 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) were released March 16 by Steven L. Reed, the capital city's mayor, according to Alabama Political Reporter.
The USDOT's Neighborhood Access and Equity competitive grant seeks to expand transportation options and enhance access to essential services like jobs, education, healthcare, food and recreation. Funding for the program was allocated in President Biden's Inflation Reduction Act of 2022.
The city will use the grant primarily in historic West Montgomery to reverse the persistent effects of segregation, redlining and the construction of Interstates 65 and 85.
Among other things, the funds will be applied to enhance public open spaces, increase safety and access to public safety amenities, zero-emission transportation options, workforce transportation micro-transit, wayfinding enhancements and investments in future development.
Reed applied for the grant last September and worked closely with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to secure the award. It represents the largest competitive federal grant ever presented to the city and the second-largest federal appropriation received by Montgomery behind the $42 million it accepted through the American Rescue Plan Act.
"I am pleased to announce that the city of Montgomery has received the largest competitive federal grant in our city's history," he said. "One of my first directives as mayor was to establish a City Grants Department to seek out more federal and philanthropic investments into our community. Ultimately, this transformative project aligns with our long-term plans for revitalizing historic West Montgomery. Combined with other initiatives already being implemented, we are creating a safer, more accessible and more connected neighborhood."
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Work on the project will begin in the fall, according to the mayor. Once completed, it will notably improve mobility for all West Montgomery residents, particularly elderly residents at the City of St. Jude Senior Assisted Living facility, students at George Washington Carver Senior High School and local elementary schools, and the residents of Gibbs Village East and Gibbs Village West housing complexes.
Key elements and infrastructure improvements within the project include:
- Redeveloping a local brownfield site into an electric vehicle (EV) charging station and microgrid.
- Repaving, striping, adding a bike lane and landscaping on West Fairview Avenue from the I-65 underpass to the Mobile Highway intersection and U.S. Highway 80.
- Establishing an EV Workforce Micro-Transit site and workforce training hub to provide consistent routes to the area's Hyundai factory, the Inland Port, downtown, the Lagoon Park Industrial Park, hospitals and other high-demand employers.
- Adding intelligent technologies such as smart lighting, CC cameras, and Wi-Fi hotspots along Mobile Street, South Holt Street, West Fred Gray Avenue, Oak Street and West Fairview Avenue.
- Laying down an extensive fiber optic infrastructure.
- Upgrading bus stops and covered shelters.
- Enhancing navigation with more historic markers and wayfinding kiosks.
- Creating more than 2 mi. of sidewalks.
During Reed's announcement of the USDOT grant, he thanked several groups and individuals for their work in making the improvement project a reality for West Montgomery. They included U.S. Representative Terri Sewell, D-7th District, USDOT's Thriving Communities team, the African American Culture Heritage Action Fund, Alabama Historic Preservation Commission, the Conservation Fund, River Region Trails, the Tuskegee Agriculture Innovation Center, the Vantage Group, Alabama Power, and the city of Montgomery Grants Department.
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