After years of discussing the need to construct a sidewalk on Sparta Street for the safety of pedestrians, a nearly $1 million grant from the state will make it possible.
Gov. Bill Haslam and the Tennessee Department of Transportation have awarded a $948,080 Multimodal Access Grant to the city of McMinnville for the Sparta Street Sidewalk Project. The project includes installation of sidewalks and a pedestrian crossing along Sparta Street from where the existing sidewalks currently ends to River Park Hospital.
The project will connect downtown McMinnville to retail, residential, senior housing, and medical facilities on that side of town.
“This is a great day for the citizens and city of McMinnville,” said state Rep. Kevin Dunlap. “Extending the sidewalks from the Sparta Street downtown area to Three Star Mall and River Park Hospital will greatly enhance the safety of our citizens.”
Mayor Jimmy Haley says, “The city continues to work to better serve the people of the community and this grant will allow us to continue to do so. This project will install approximately 7,200 linear feet of sidewalk along Sparta Street.”
Multimodal Access Grants make improvements like these possible and those improvements are critical to continued growth, says Haslam.
“Improving our facilities for walking, biking, and transit is critical to the continued growth and success of our towns and cities, and these grants help make our communities across Tennessee more livable by creating more transportation options,” Haslam said.
Examples of projects eligible under the Multimodal Access Fund Program include sidewalks and pedestrian crossing improvements, bus shelters, park and ride facilities, and bicycle lanes. The projects will be funded 95 percent by TDOT, with 5 percent funded with local matching funds. Total project costs are not expected to exceed $1 million.
This is not the first time the city has applied to the state for a grant to build a sidewalk along Sparta Street. Dunlap says the city’s efforts have paid off.
“This project is a result of hard work and perseverance from our local mayor and aldermen working together with state leadership and TDOT,” said Dunlap.