Jackson Free Press

The following is a verbatim statement from the City of Jackson:

The City of Jackson has been awarded a $16.5 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The federal award will help fund the city’s “Greening the Gateways” project that will integrate environmentally sustainable multimodal transportation improvements within Jackson.

“I would like to thank the Department of Public Works team for designing this plan and aggressively pursuing the TIGER grant. This project will serve as a catalyst for revitalization activities in the city. It also supports the city’s continued work toward addressing decades-old infrastructure needs,” said Mayor Tony T. Yarber. “The Administration is appreciative of the support given by Mississippi’s congressional delegation, specifically the technical assistance on the application from the offices of U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and U.S. Rep Bennie Thompson.”

TIGER grants fund capital investments in surface transportation infrastructure and are awarded on a competitive basis to projects that will have a significant impact on the nation, a region or metropolitan area. In Jackson, the improvements will be made along the “Gateway” corridor segments of North State Street and West County Line Road. The project will convert roads and make them complete streets. It also will manage drainage and mitigate sanitary sewer overflows along both streets and provide greater access to Tougaloo College.

“The ‘Greening the Gateways’ project is an integral part of the Infrastructure Master Plan, a 20-year blueprint for a comprehensive overhaul of the Capital City’s aged infrastructure system,” said Department of Public Works Director Kishia Powell. “The Gateways project will create ladders of opportunity that will bolster economic growth and stability by providing accessible and efficient connections between residences, schools, parks, public transportations, offices, retail and recreational destinations.”