The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) will distribute $44.2 million to help the state of Kentucky make streets safer and enhance urban mobility. The award will advance county and municipal efforts to rebuild downtown areas, develop complete streets and reconnect community hubs.
The city of Mayfield will receive $25 million to reconstruct a 2.5 mile stretch of road in the city’s downtown area. The updated street will feature ADA-compliant sidewalks, infrastructure for bicycles, traffic calming measure and trees. In addition, the city will install a stormwater sewer system capable of handling increased rainfall and mitigate flooding risk. The project will fill gaps in the city’s existing bike system, enhancing non-motorized mobility and reducing vehicular usage. Construction is expected to begin in June 2026.
Covington will use $16.3 million to install sidewalks and a land bridge to reconnect the city’s central riverfront hub area. The city will make the sidewalks longer and wider to protect pedestrians and bicyclists. In addition, the streets will include high visibility crosswalks, direct connections to the regional trail system, lighting for pedestrians and limited speed limits. Plans also include building a public parking garage. Construction is anticipated to begin in March 2025.
The remaining $2.9 million will go toward a planning project for roadway reconstruction. Boone County will use the award to design a road layout with widened travel lanes, turn lanes, curbs, gutters, roundabouts, a shared-use path and two new connecting roadways. Plans also include installing sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, rehabilitated pavement, utility replacements and improved drainage.
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 projects that will receive 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 by Paul Sableman
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