City to seek up to $15 million federal grant for East Gadsden
The City of Gadsden has been aggressive in going after federal grants, and it plans to take a shot at a massive one.
City officials at Tuesday's pre-City Council work session signaled that they will seek an Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program construction grant of up to $15 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation, targeting East Gadsden.
If successful, the money would be used toward fleshing out the area's sidewalk network and, the key component, constructing a pedestrian bridge across the Coosa River.
Mayor Craig Ford called it “our No. 1 priority” heading into next year's congressional session.
Brett Johnson, Ford's chief of staff, told council members that the ATIIP program prioritizes Census tracts that have a poverty rate of more than 40%. East Gadsden, east of the Coosa River and downtown Gadsden, qualifies there.
Johnson said GROW Gadsden, the city's recently approved comprehensive master plan, identified significant “sidewalk gaps” in that area and also noted that it has one of the city's largest population bases without vehicles.
Having the pedestrian bridge and a proper sidewalk network would, he said, encourage what's called “active transportation,” walking and biking.
“It would allow connectivity in the East Gadsden corridor,” he said.
Johnson said the funding would be 100%, no city match required, if the grant application is successful because of East Gadsden's Census status.
He noted that other grants have been sought for sidewalk connections in the area, and Ford pointed out that multiple grant options are available for projects located by a river that would link a lower income area to downtown.
While a formal estimate has not yet been procured, Heath Williamson, the city's director of engineering, offered a ballpark figure of roughly $20 million for the pedestrian bridge construction, depending on the variables and options used.
“We'd dive into that at the bottom clean,” he said, “and then go up from there and see what gives us the most advantages.”
Ford in a subsequent statement said, "The pedestrian bridge with better accessibility on the eastern side of the river is a major component of developing the riverfront. When we have greenspace, shops and entertainment along there, people will need to be able to get to and from those destinations in different ways.
“Whether they go by foot, bike or wheelchair, this type of infrastructure will help them access and enjoy those experiences,” he said.
The mayor at the pre-council meeting said city officials also have been speaking with Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., about line items in next year's federal budget for work on Memorial Bridge on Broad Street. The money would go toward maintenance repairs and concrete, and he said the city still plans “to light that up like a Christmas tree.”
And Johnson announced that the city and the Etowah County Commission were successful in their bid for $78,540 in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to upgrade street lights (to LED) along Tuscaloosa Avenue, near Carver Community Center, at the James Martin Wildlife Park boardwalk behind the Gadsden Mall, and on River Road from Rainbow Drive to the Hampton Inn.
This article originally appeared on The Tuscaloosa News: City to seek up to $15 million federal grant for East Gadsden projects
