Jefferson Reporter

Birmingham, AL – On June 22, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell (AL-07) announced that the City of Birmingham has been awarded a $21,681,306 grant from the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) to support the development of the Birmingham Urban Trail and Multimodal Corridor. The funding is part of DOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant Program and will be used to enhance transportation networks and create a more walkable, bikeable, safe, connected, and livable community.

“This is such great news for the Birmingham area!” celebrated Rep. Sewell. “I was so proud to help the City of Birmingham secure this $21 million grant to develop the Birmingham Urban Trail, and I know that it will go a long way in making our city more walkable, bikeable and livable. I applaud the Biden-Harris Administration for making this transformational investment and for their continued partnership as we work to bring more resources and better opportunities to our communities here in Birmingham.”

Funding from today’s announcement will support the “Birmingham Civil Rights Crossroads: Reconnecting Historic Neighborhoods Through Active Mobility” project which will create an urban trail and multi-modal corridor to celebrate, honor, and revitalize the Smithfield neighborhood, the west side of Birmingham, and the Civil Rights District. It will be the spine of a growing multimodal transportation network, providing safe and equitable options via an urban trail and complete streets and creating a more walkable, bikeable, safe, connected, and livable community.

Specifically, this funding will be used to redevelop approximately 2.5-miles of road with a complete streets approach, including a two-way cycle track, improved ADA access, sidewalks and other universal design elements.

Background on the RAISE Grant Program

The RAISE Grant program provides a unique opportunity for the DOT to invest in road, rail, transit and port projects that promise to achieve national objectives. Previously known as the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) and Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) Discretionary Grants, Congress has dedicated nearly $12.1 billion for fourteen rounds of National Infrastructure Investments to fund projects that have a significant local or regional impact.

In each competition, DOT receives hundreds of applications to build and repair critical pieces of our freight and passenger transportation networks. The RAISE program enables DOT to examine these projects on their merits to help ensure that taxpayers are getting the highest value for every dollar invested.

Original source can be found here.