Governor Kay Ivey (R) (above) recently awarded more than $5.1 million in state grants to cities and counties for various local road and bridge projects.
[Above photo by Billy Pope for the Alabama Governor’s Office]
Those funds come through the state’s Annual Grant Program, created by the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act, which requires the Alabama Department of Transportation to set aside $10 million annually off the top of the state’s share of new gas tax revenue for local projects.
With this round of grants, more than $145 million in state transportation funding has been awarded through the Act’s programs, the governor’s office noted.
Concurrently, cities and counties receiving this most recent round of grants contributed a total of over $2.9 million in local matching funds, though matching funds are not required to be eligible. Additionally, all projects are required to move forward within one year of the awarding of funds.
“Just recently, we marked the fourth anniversary of Rebuild Alabama, and it has continued to show it produces nothing less than real, tangible results,” noted Gov. Ivey in a statement.
“With this grant, 21 new projects will be underway and under development, ready to benefit folks in all corners of the state,” she added. “I’m proud of Rebuild Alabama’s success, and I look forward to seeing how it continues to improve such critical infrastructure. Alabama’s roads and bridges are making substantial progress, and we look forward to this continuing.”
In January, the governor issued $40 million to cities and counties for various road and bridge projects through a separate program, the Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program-II or ATRIP-II, which was also created by the Rebuild Alabama Act.