An effort is underway to bring additional money to North Monroe Street improvements.
The Capital Region Transportation Planning Agency (CRTPA) says the roadway has safety issues. So it’s pursuing a federal grant called Safe Streets for All.
But the grant requires some matching funds from local government.
The Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency has $4.2 million earmarked for repairs and upgrades to North Monroe Street. Leon County District 3 Commissioner Rick Minor wants the Blueprint board to allocate all of that money to serve as the required 20% match for the grant application.
“We’re taking money that we already have designated for North Monroe, 4.2 million, and we’re using it as a match for a grant application that could bring down an extra 17-million dollars in federal money to help us with North Monroe improvements,” Minor says.
Minor has launched a petition drive to get public support. He's asking supporters to sign it by February 27th. He says he will take petitions and letters from business owners in the corridor to the Blueprint meeting on February 29th.
If the grant is approved, money from the U.S. Department of Transportation plus the local funds would equal $21-million for North Monroe. Improvements would be focused on a seven mile stretch of the road between 7th Avenue and Capital Circle NW.
"We've had a lot of vehicle crashes on the North Monroe corridor as well as pedestrian fatalities," Minor says. Improvements would include "new sidewalks, modifying intersections so that they're more user friendly, putting better lighting in...better street crossings."
Minor hopes the grant application can be submitted in July. Then it would take about six months to learn whether the grant is approved. Click here for the petition.
