LANSING – State Representative Lee Gonzales (D-Flint Township) today applauded the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) for awarding $3.8 million in federal Transportation Enhancement funding for 11 projects in eight counties, including two in Genesee County. Matching funds add $2 million, creating a total investment of $5.8 million. The grants pay for projects such as developing non-motorized trails, making streetscape improvements, and buying bus bike racks to improve mobility options in the state. All projects will take place during the 2008 construction season.
"By enhancing the local landscape and connecting the Flint River Trail to nearby neighborhoods, we will ensure that future generations can enjoy all the recreational opportunities that the Flint area has to offer," said Gonzales. "These investments in Genesee County are a much needed boost to the beautification of our city, and the bike racks will provide an environmentally-friendly transportation alternative so families can stay active at a low price."
The Flint Mass Transportation Authority (FMTA) will purchase and install 50 bike racks on its fleet of buses. By providing accommodations for bicycles, FMTA will provide a link for residents to a network of non-motorized pathways, as well as enhance regional tourism. The total project budget is $61,650, with $49,320 in federal TE funds and $12,330 in matching funds from FMTA.
For the second project, the city of Flint will construct 1.3 miles of a 10-foot-wide non-motorized path along Horrigan Drive through the Mott Community College (MCC) campus from Longway Boulevard to East Court Street. This path will provide a connection to Kearsley Park and the Flint River Trail for residents south of Court Street. The path also will serve as a primary non-motorized facility for students on the MCC campus. The path is being coordinated with a $2 million environmental project that will block a culvert in the adjacent Gilkey Creek and direct the creek to a new channel in order to restore 2,500 feet of stream bank. The total project budget is $509,637, with $364,696 in federal TE funds, $94,941 from the Ruth Mott Foundation, and $50,000 from Mott Community College.