US Department of Transportation Awards $30 million to Ohio Cities Through the RAISE Grant
July 21, 2023
Power a Clean Future Ohio and Ohio Mayors Alliance are proud to work with awardees in building a clean transportation future for their cities
Columbus, OH – The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced the recipients of the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grants, which aim to promote sustainable transportation initiatives nationwide. Four Ohio cities received funds from the RAISE grants, including Power a Clean Future Ohio (PCFO) and Ohio Mayors Alliance (OMA) members Cincinnati, Toledo, and Youngstown. The City of Kent also received funding from the program. The grant program is funded through the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a Biden Administration priority that was signed into law in 2021.
PCFO is dedicated to working with local communities to develop equitable clean energy solutions to benefit the well-being of residents, the environment, and the economy. To accomplish that mission, PCFO works with many partners. OMA brings together the mayors of Ohio’s largest cities to foster best practice sharing and provide valuable resources and information to help them meet their goals. Together, OMA and PCFO are working to ensure that local governments have the support and resources needed to take advantage of federal resources and bring needed infrastructure funding to Ohio communities.
“Power a Clean Future Ohio is proud to share the accomplishments of our member communities as they use these funds towards projects that will lower GHG emissions in their community and expand transportation options for their residents. By providing resources to our member communities, such as our Infrastructure Grant Assistance Program, we know Ohio cities will continue to successfully acquire federal funding,” said Cassandra Clevenger, Deputy Director of PCFO.
“Preserving the fiscal stability of their cities is a critical and ongoing challenge for mayors across Ohio, and finding additional funds in local government budgets can be a challenge,” said OMA Executive Director Keary McCarthy. “These federal grants will boost both metro and regional economies, while helping to ensure that mayors’ local infrastructure priorities can be addressed quickly and effectively.”
The funds will be used to support several projects in Ohio communities, including:
- Toledo: Connecting Toledo Neighborhoods to Opportunity (RAISE Grant Funding: $20,000,000): This project aims to add a protected sidewalk to the Dorr Street overpass of Interstate 75 and a new 10-foot-wide multi-use path that will extend approximately 0.75 miles into the Junction neighborhood. It will also make approximately 4.4 miles of complete streets enhancements, including ADA-compliant sidewalks, on-street protected bike lanes, LED lighting, artistic crosswalks, street trees, landscaping, seating, bike shelters, and a public transit mobility hub.
- Youngstown: Leveraging Infrastructure for Transportation (LIFT) (RAISE Grant Funding: $2,940,480): The project will complete engineering and final design for the reconstruction of WRTA’s Federal Station transit hub into a mixed-use transit-oriented facility that includes a sheltered passenger terminal, parking garage, electric vehicle charging stations, and amenities.
- Cincinnati: Cincinnati Westwood Northern Boulevard Corridor Plan (RAISE Grant Funding: $2,275,000): The project will study and develop conceptual design alternatives for improvements to the Northern Boulevard Corridor that are focused on pedestrians, bicycles, transit, and climate resiliency.
- Kent: East Main Street Corridor Improvements (RAISE Grant Funding: $5,250,000): The project will reconstruct a five-lane road to a four-lane road that includes a landscaped center median, sidewalk, multi-use trail, two roundabouts, bus pullouts, and pedestrian amenities.
For more information about Power a Clean Future Ohio and the support and resources we provide to Ohio’s governments, please visit poweracleanfuture.org to learn more. To learn more about the Ohio Mayors Alliance, visit ohiomayorsalliance.org.