Jackson seeks $15M for 3 main corridors

Jackson is seeking a $15 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve portions of State Street, Capitol Street and Medgar Evers Boulevard.

Robert Lee, the city's construction and engineering manager, said the deadline to submit the application is June 5 and a decision on the application should be known this fall.

"It's very exciting if we are able to get it," Lee said.

Lee said if the city receives the grant money, it would be used to improve State Street from Fondren to Sheppard Road and to upgrade Capitol Street and Medgar Evers Boulevard. The improvements would include water and sewer upgrades as well as making the streets more cycling friendly. Sidewalks would also be upgraded.

On Capitol Street, the proposed work would complement the portion of the street that was recently upgraded from Roach to West Street. The new work would allow the entire street to be upgraded, Lee said. The entire length of Medgar Evers also would be be upgraded.

The grant requires a minimum local match of 20 percent, which would be $3 million if the city is successful in obtaining $15 million.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx recently announced that $500 million will be made available for transportation projects across the country under a seventh round of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery, or TIGER, competitive grant program.

Eligible applicants for TIGER grants are state, local and tribal governments, including U.S. territories, transit agencies, port authorities, metropolitan planning organizations and other political subdivisions of state or local governments, according to the Department of Transportation.

City Council President De'Keither Stamps asked Lee whether the city was going to do any work on the streets while waiting to see if the grant money is approved.

Lee said Medgar Evers Boulevard and State Street included in the first year of the city's infrastructure plan and he believes Capitol Street will be moved to that list as well.

"We want to do those projects regardless if they are done through the federal DOT grant money or through the city's 1 percent sales tax," Lee said.

The city's infrastructure master plan is scheduled to be presented next week to the 1 percent sales tax commission, which is tasked with approving how the city spends the money from the sales tax increase.

Contact Jimmie E. Gates at (601) 961-7212 or jgates@jackson.gannett.com. Follow @jgatesnews on Twitter.