U.S. Rep. Terry Sewell said today the City of Birmingham has been awarded a federal grant of more than $14.5 million to turn Fourth Avenue North into a two-way street.
The grant of $14,556,040 will come from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Neighborhood Access and Equity grant program to re-connect the historic Fourth Avenue Black Business District.
“Birmingham’s 4th Avenue Business District has a rich history of African American ingenuity and entrepreneurship,” Sewell said. “With the help of the Biden-Harris Administration, we are working to ensure that the residents, workers, and businesses of this historic place have the infrastructure they need to thrive. This major federal investment will help reconnect our communities and pave the way for strong and equitable growth.”
Birmingham last year announced it had applied for federal funding to help turn the major one-way street downtown into a two-way street, which officials say will promote economic development and improve safety.
The Birmingham City Council in August approved a grant application seeking funding from the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program.
The money will be used to convert Fourth Avenue North from a one-way street to a two-way street from 24th Street North to 9th Street North.
Fourth Avenue North moves traffic west on a one-way street starting from the U.S. Post Office at 24th Street through downtown, past the Harbert Center at 2019 Fourth Ave. North, through the historic Black business district that includes the Carver Theatre at 1631 Fourth Ave. North, on to the west side of Interstate 65.
“I think it’s so important for the city to support this Black business center,” said City Council President Wardine Alexander said at the time.
The city pledged $2 million toward the cost of the project.
The cost involves improving and changing signals at intersections with traffic lights..
The City Center Master Plan has long called for converting one-way streets to two-way streets to boost economic activity and curb reckless driving. It allows access to stores on both sides of the street from both directions and slows traffic.
“Conversion of our one-way streets in the city center back to two-way streets is something that’s been an objective for a long time,” said Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn.
“This is something that’s been identified primarily as a way to promote economic development,” he said. “It would improve safety in terms of reducing speed.”
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