Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced on Tuesday a set of 21 road improvement projects that will receive state funding as part of the 2019 Rebuild Alabama Act that raised the gas tax.
The projects are being made possible by the Annual Grant Program, a provision of Rebuild Alabama that takes $10 million of the annual revenue generated by the increased gas tax available in the form of grants. Any city or county government in Alabam can apply for funding from the program.
“As we near the second anniversary of the passage of the Rebuild Alabama Act, we are showing the people of our state that we are true to our word, and money is being spent wisely,” stated Ivey on Tuesday in a release.
The projects announced Tuesday were mostly awards of $250,000 to cities and towns that wanted to resurface roads that were showing signs of wear. Other projects include a bridge replacement in Butler County and an added turn lane in the town of Semmes.
A full list of the projects being funded can be found here. Construction is required to begin within one year of receiving the money from the state.
More than $2 million in matching funds was contributed by the counties and cities applying for the grants. The grant program does not require applicants to provide matching funds. However, doing so makes the consideration of an application more favorable, per information on the program’s website.
More local projects will be announced later this year, according to a release from the governor’s office. The Annual Grant Program gave out $10.2 million in 2020.
“More and more Alabamians are seeing road projects in their communities,” noted Ivey. “All revenue is being used to enhance critical infrastructure to make Alabama a better place to live, work and play.”
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.
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