LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Department of Transportation on Thursday announced over $20.5 million in grant funding to improve public infrastructure in Louisville. The money, granted through the department's RAISE program, will fund Reimagine 9th Street and Broadway All the Way.
What You Need To Know
- Two Louisville infrastructure projects are getting millions in federal funding
- The Department of Transportation on Thursday announced grants for the Reimagine 9th Street and Broadway All the Way projects
- Both multi-million dollar projects promote pedestrian safety and expanded public transit accessibility
- The Department of Transportation has awarded over $2.2 billion in RAISE grants this year
Louisville's Reimagine 9th Street plan has been in the works since 2017. Now with over $15.5 million in federal funds flowing to the city, the project aimed at adding protected bike and pedestrian walkways can now become a reality. The expansive project also adds and expands bus lanes and public spaces along the 9th Street corridor.
The project will also convert one-way traffic to two-way on Muhammad Ali Boulevard and Chestnut Street/River Park Drive in downtown Louisville, according to planning documents.
Completion of Reimagine 9th Street will promote safe pedestrian spaces while also helping reconnect historically Black underserved communities that have been impacted by the notorious Ninth Street divide, the DOT said.
"The first thing I did was say thank you, Jesus, because it's been such a long time coming," said Dr. Jamesetta Ferguson, the president & CEO of MOLO Village. "This is the first new development on West Jefferson in over 50 years."
The recent bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act shored up federal resources for the RAISE grant program, which Kentucky's U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell supported.
"Today’s grant announcement is just another in a long list of projects made possible by this legislation. I’m pleased my hometown is reaping the rewards of the RAISE grant program and look forward to supporting additional infrastructure development all across the Commonwealth," McConnell said in a press release.
Louisville has also received $5 million for its expansive Broadway All the Way project, which will impact "all modes of transportation" along a 10-mile stretch of roads that includes nearly one third of the city's bus routes, planning documents read. The stretch of road spans from the edge of West Louisville to Bashford Manor.
The Department of Transportation has awarded over $2.2 billion in RAISE grants this year nationwide.