ALACHUA COUNTY, FL (352today.com) – Alachua County has received a major grant that is expected to improve roads in an underserved area – making them safer and providing better access to transportation to get to jobs.
The United States Department of Transportation (DOT) has awarded Alachua County a $1.4 million grant, which will go toward the Complete Streets project along Southwest 20th Avenue. The grant provides funding for the county’s Paths to Opportunity initiative.
The funding for the project comes from a Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity grant invests in areas characterized as historically disadvantaged or areas of persistent poverty.
The Southwest 20th Avenue project stretches for about a half mile from Southwest 61st Street to Southwest 62nd Street Boulevard, which will allow for access between the underserved Southwest Advocacy Group (SWAG) area to the greatest volume of job opportunities within the county, at the University of Florida (UF) and UF Health Shands Hospital.
Paths to Opportunity calls for a number of features that will make traveling the route more accessible for commuters including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians, with wide sidewalks, separated bike lanes, additional motor vehicle lanes, that may be converted to dedicated transit lanes as the volume of traffic density increases.
A number of project features are under consideration, including new pedestrian crossings, transit stop amenities, landscape enhancements, a community driven approach to help shape the public space and stormwater treatment. There’s also the possibility of a bridge structure that would accommodate future managed lanes on I-75 to make commuting easier.
“Numerous community members have shared that people, including caregivers pushing strollers and wheelchairs, are routinely seen traveling along the shoulder of this roadway including at night, in dark conditions,” said Alison Moss, Alachua County transportation planning manager, in a news release. “This is work borne out by staff observations and research. Residents of this neighborhood depend on transit, biking and walking, and so for them – are critical to the safety and well-being of the SWAG community.”
Some of the monies will go toward addressing inadequacies in the Southwest 2oth Avenue corridor, including the existing bridge, which has become a safety hazard for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“These critical improvements will make our community safer and allow our local leaders to connect this area to other corridors that have undergone or will undergo their own Complete Streets transformations,” said Dorothy Benson, Southwest Advocacy Group, in the release.