Lexington has been awarded $7.7 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds, including $1.2 million to LexTran for safety and air quality improvements and $6.5 million for seven transportation projects spread around the city, according to a release from the governor’s office.
The $1.2 million in federal grants for LexTran will be used to purchase buses powered by compressed natural gas. Roughly two-thirds of the $6.5 million for LFUCG transportation projects will be used for an extension of the Legacy Trail around the Kentucky Horse Park and the construction of a trail bridge across Man o’ War Boulevard in the Brighton area near Hamburg Place.
The Kentucky Horse Park Legacy Trail Extension project, which was awarded $2,513,609 in federal funding, will construct a 1.8-mile extension of the Legacy Trail shared use path along the Horse Park’s southern and western property boundaries.
Roughly $2.18 million in federal grant money will be applied to Phase IV of the Brighton Rail Trail Bridge project, which will include the design and construction of a bridge and trail connections across Man o’ War between Helmsdale Place and Pink Pigeon Parkway.
Another $1.04 million will be used for Fourth Street corridor enhancements between Jefferson and Upper streets. The improvements will include the construction of new sidewalks, drainage improvements, wayfinding and signage, street and pedestrian lighting, and intersection calming measures at Fourth and Jefferson, Fourth and Broadway and Fourth and Upper streets.
“We know that, decades ago, people moved to where the jobs were,” said Mayor Jim Gray in a release. “But today, jobs go to where the people are. And people are going to cities where they can find a high quality of life. These are the kinds of projects that improve quality of life in Lexington.”
Other Lexington transportation projects to be funded with the federal money include:
• $424,000 for the installation of fiber optic cable at Clays Mill Road from Twain Ridge Road to Keithshire Way, and at Man o’ War Boulevard from US 27 to Ft. Harrods Drive.
• $714,296 for the widening of the east and westbound approaches of Manchester Street at the South Forbes Road intersection, to create dedicated left turn lanes from Manchester onto Forbes Road.
• $165,093 for the construction of a new sidewalk on the north side of the 200 block of Squires Road.
• $760,710 for the construction of a shared use trail within Veteran’s Park, extending an existing trail within the park that connects to the nearby elementary school.
The projects are in addition to a $3.2 million award announced last week by Lt. Gov. Crit Luallen and Mayor Jim Gray for the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian facility to eventually connect Town Branch Trail and the Legacy Trail through downtown.
Federal CMAQ funds are awarded for innovative transportation projects or programs that reduce traffic congestion or improve air quality. They are available to state and local government agencies as well as private entities and nonprofits through public-private partnerships. The funds and project applications are administered through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet’s Office of Special Programs.