Area receives federal funding for two projects
by Angie Asam, Staff Writer
The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) announced Tuesday that the state is awarding $10,268,714 in federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) grants to fund a variety of projects in 11 Michigan counties.
The grants are being coupled with $4,551,283 in matching funds from state, local and private sources bringing the total investment to $14,819,997. The grants will support 88 miles of nonmotorized trail improvements, four miles of roadway streetscape, improvements to three turn-outs and a roadside park on Lake Superior and the water quality along M-24 in the thumb, as well as information technology improvements that will make it easier for state and local agencies to work together on projects involving cultural resources.
TWO OF the projects being funded are in Presque Isle and Cheboygan Counties and more importantly help Onaway in a big way. The first is the Alpena to Cheboygan trail project, which received $1,888,000 in TE funding along with $585,233 from MDOT, $500,000 from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and Environment (MDNRE) and $166,767 in local funding for a total investment of $3,140,00.
?This is an exciting project in that it is moving forward because more than 20 local units of government agreed to work together to make it happen. Obviously it was not possible without the more than $2 million in state and federal dollars coming into northeast Michigan but it was also not possible without the local match money pledged by the many community leaders who call northeast Michigan home,? said Onaway city manager Joe Hefele.
MDOT, in cooperation with the MDNRE and local communities, will install a crushed limestone surface on 71 miles of railroad grade owned by the MDNRE from Alpena to Cheboygan. The improvements will make it easier for walkers and bicyclists to use the trail, commonly referred to as the Hawks Trail, during the non-winter months when it is not used for snowmobiling. The trail will provide a much-needed link for residents and tourists to communities along the corridor.
?Once the project is complete, the trail will become a great asset to those who live here and will be something we can promote as we attempt to bring much-needed tourism dollars into our communities,? said Hefele.
THE CITY of Onaway also received good news with the announcement as it learned that TE funds would provide $301,210 coupled with $86,060 from MDOT and $43,030 from the city to streetscape M-68. ?After more than a year involving plenty of work by plenty of people, the project is getting very close to being advertised for bids. We at the city continue to be very grateful to the folks at MDOT and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development, who brought the dollars into the project to make it possible,? said Hefele.
The total project cost will be $430,300 and will include pedestrian lighting, planters, brickwork, trash receptacles and the periodic placement of a one-of-a-kind 3-foot by 1-foot ?Onaway Steers the World? emblems with coordinating brickwork on sidewalks within the downtown business area. This element highlights and celebrates Onaway?s history as the largest producer of wooden steering wheels in the 1920s.
?While I am sure our business community is concerned about the coming construction, most I have talked to are excited about the improvements. The bottom line is that the old water main running under M-68 needed to be replaced. That?s what spurred the entire project and there was probably never going to be a perfect time to do it,? said Hefele.
The streetscape work along Washington Avenue and State Street from M-33 to Second Street will be done in conjunction with a city water main replacement project and an MDOT road reconstruction project. ?When it is all said and done, Onaway will have a much-improved water system, a more pedestrian friendly downtown and enhanced curb appeal throughout the business district. It?s an important project and one that brings with it many positives. It?s a $5 million project that comes with a price tag of about $365,000 to the people of Onaway,? said Hefele.
OTHER PROJECTS will be done in Alcona, Bay and Saginaw, Genesee, Keweenaw, Tuscola, Washtenaw and Wayne Counties as well as the statewide Geographic Information System (GIS) for cultural resource management. That project is a partnership of MDOT, the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) and the
?Transportation improvements are often the ?behind the scenes? projects that can dramatically increase the success of a community in attracting residents and businesses,? said transportation director Kirk T. Steudle.
Under federal law, 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds are set aside for TE projects. Administered by MDOT, the grants enable communities to invest in projects such as streetscapes and nonmotorized trails. TE funds provide a maximum of 80 percent of the money required for each project with the rest coming from matching funds.
?MDOT is pleased to collaborate with the MDNRE and the MSHDA on enhancement projects that contribute to our quality of life, making Michigan communities great places to live and do business,? said Steudle.