Memphis-area organizations got around $3.5 million in clean-air grants from the Tennessee Department of Transportation Thursday.
The grants are part of the state’s Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement Program [CMAC]. The oversized checks TDOT officials were handing out in Memphis Thursday were part of 31 CMAC grants going to 11 Tennessee communities that total $27 million.
Here are the projects funded in Memphis:
MLGW, $500,000 – Purchase 20 heavy-duty trucks that run on compressed natural gas.
City of Memphis, $600,000: Upgrade traffic signal equipment on Walnut Grove (west of I-240) to inter-connect signals, reduce congestion, and improve traffic efficiency.
Main to Main Multi-Modal Connector Project, $1.6 million: construction funding.
“This means the project can forward; it’s critical,” said Downtown Memphis Commission president Paul Morris.
Morris said the project should be under contract in November and if construction runs on schedule, the project should be complete by spring or summer 2016.
Agricenter Park and Ride, $20,000: 100 parking spaces to be built next to Agricenter for weekday commuters and weekend visitors.
Greenline Park and Ride, $20,000: 100 parking spaces to be built next to Shelby Farms Greenline and Shelby County Government Complex.
Route 34 Express, $212,001: New, direct bus route from Cordova to Downtown Memphis. Four round trips daily.
Shelby Farms Shuttle, $180,000 – Will initially run only on the weekends between Southwest Tennessee Community College and Shelby Farms Park.
MATA bus transit expansion, $408,000: Expand existing service between proposed Greenline Park and Ride facility and major centers in the i-40 corridor.
