Adam RollinsThis story was originally published in the Government Contracting Pipeline newsletter from Strategic Partnerships, Inc. To have the latest government contracting news stories from across the country delivered straight to your inbox, click here to subscribe.
The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will allocate $47.4 million to support Florida projects that increase access to affordable transportation, make streets safer and redevelop roadways.
The city of Tampa will use $24.5 million to make a series of complete street improvements to improve the safety along three roadways. The current street conditions are unsafe for pedestrians and are vulnerable to extreme weather. In addition, the streets have unmarked parking areas, lack sidewalks and do not have enough landscape buffer between the seawall and street.
Plans include building a shared-use trail connecting the streets to the city’s 22-mile Green Artery Trail, a network of pathways connecting Tampa’s parks, neighborhoods and greenspaces. In addition, the city will resurface pavements, install a bioswale buffer area and build ADA-compliant sidewalks. The project will install mid-block crossings, perform landscaping, build on-site parking and institute traffic calming measures. Construction is expected to begin in January 2025.
The city of Lake Wales will receive $22.9 million to redevelop four road segments into complete streets. The project will expand ADA-compliant accessible sidewalks, improve safety measures at crosswalks and railroad crossings and build a separated cycle track. Plans also include a road diet, increasing shade tree canopy cover and raingardens, installing underground high-speed fiber, streetscaping and installing streetlight power sources. Construction is expected to begin in November 2024.
USDOT allocated the funds through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant program. The RAISE program invests in community projects to build and renovate critical transportation infrastructure projects across the country.
The projects are a selection of 148 receiving a portion of the recently announced $1.8 billion in RAISE funding for Fiscal Year 2024. Including the latest round, USDOT has invested $7.2 billion across 550 projects through the RAISE program since it was established.
Photo courtesy formulanone
