Federal TIGER Grant “Roads to Recovery” Update

In 2012, Birmingham received a grant from the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) program,

The TIGER Grant was for $10 Million, with the City contributing an additional $2,180,646, the Alabama Department of Transportation contributing $1 Million, and other sources like the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham and the Jefferson County Department of Health.contributing $2,007,100 for a total project fund of $15,187,746.

According to the Project’s Statement of Work Summary:

“The TIGER funds will be used to support portions of an overall Project to enhance the greater Birmingham area’s transportation infrastructure. Project elements will create complete streets and provide bicycle and pedestrian facilities to better connect residents with public transportation hubs and other activity centers. The largest Project components will include 8.83 miles of compete streets in Pratt City and Ensley; 6.34 miles of compete streets in Jones Valley; and 4.45 miles of complete streets and off-street trails along the Birmingham Civil Rights trail. The Project also includes multiple small project segments, largely complete streets, off-street trails, and one rail-to-rail segment.”

Here’s the update on the progress of this project.

Phase 1/1A- Pratt City Complete Streets and Multimodal Corridors completed in June 2016

Phase 2- Ensley Complete Streets construction completed in June of 2016

Phase 3- Phase III, Jones Valley Complete Streets completed in May of 2016.

Phase 4- Phase IV, Enon Ridge Multimodal Corridor and Civil Rights Trail completed in April 2015

Phase 5- Phase V, CSX Railroad/Valley Creek Multimodal

On December 19th, the Birmingham City Council approved the following:

A Resolution approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute a Purchase Sale Agreement with CSX Transportation Inc. under which the City will acquire approximately 35.72 acres of former rail line extending for approximately 3 miles roughly parallel to Bessemer Road to the Crossplex from CSX Transportation Inc. for use as a walking trail in connection with “Tiger Project 5” and a portion of the BRT Guideway, for a purchase price of $441,000.00.

This Resolution will allow construction on the Jones Valley section of the Red Rock Trail. To view this section of the trail, visit www.redrocktrail.org. Click on “Jones Valley” at the top of the screen, and then “Jones Valley Trail” on the left side of the screen.

Phase 6- Phase IV, High Ore Line/Western Area Health Center completed in May 2016

Phase 7- Phase VII, High Ore Connector and Red Mountain Park Entry Project construction to start in January 2018

On December 19th, the Birmingham City Council approved the following:

A Resolution approving and authorizing the City to acquire, at no cost to the City, certain property interests in connection with the “Tiger Project 7 — High Ore Line Trail” to include: an easement covering approximately .54 acres from Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission; approximately 1.14 acres from RGGS Land & Minerals, LTD., L.P., through FLT AH, LLC (Freshwater Land Trust), which will then transfer title to such acreage to the City; and approximately 2.40 acres from CALMAT Co. through Red Mountain Greenway and Recreational Area Commission or FLT AH, LLC (Freshwater Land Trust), which will then transfer title to such acreage to the City, and further authorizing the Mayor to execute all documents necessary to effectuate such property transfers.

The Birmingham City Council also approved a Resolution accepting the bid of Gillespie Construction in the amount of $3,343,316.68 to turn former railways from Jefferson Avenue in Southwest Birmingham to the Red Mountain Park entrance, into pedestrian and bicycle lanes. These easements will allow the construction work to begin on the project, which is part of the larger Red Rock Trail System.

To learn more about the Red Rock Trail, visit http://www.redrocktrail.org/, and to see this particular stretch of trail, click on “Jones Valley”, at the top of the page, and then select “High Ore Line Greenway” on the left side of the page.