Memphis Standard

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, today announced two major RAISE grant awards including $25 million to Memphis Area Transit Authority (MATA) for its Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program and $13.2 million to Shelby County for its Eliminating Barriers on North Watkins (Project ELBOW). The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“These major projects, which both include important complete streets elements to ensure safety and accessibility for all road users, will transform our community, creating efficient and safe travel corridors where they’re most needed. I was pleased to support these proposals from the outset, intervening with Department of Transportation officials to advocate for their consideration. This investment will lead to a bright future for Memphis drivers and transit riders. I’m also proud that this funding was made possible by the massive investments from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which I supported.”

The funding for MATA’s Crosstown Corridor Safety and Multi-Modal Enhancement Program project will go towards complete streets improvements and Bus Rapid Transit service along an approximately 26-mile corridor. Improvements include sidewalks, enhanced bus stations, intersection improvements and signalization, traffic signal prioritization (TSP), and ADA enhancements.

Project ELBOW’s funding will go towards the design and reconstruction of the bridge over the Wolf River, which will be upgraded to seismic standards and made more accessible during emergency and evacuation events. The project also includes approximately 3.3 miles of complete streets multimodal infrastructure elements, including a separated bicycle lane, mid-block crossings, ADA improvements, and sidewalk improvements on the North Watkins Street corridor at Delano Avenue to North Parkway.

Original source can be found here.