Thomas County is one of four counties set to receive grant funding from the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration.
The Georgia Department of Transportation, in partnership with the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), awarded Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) grants for projects in Ben Hill, Dougherty, Thomas and Worth counties. The grants pay 80% of the project cost and require a 20% local match. The total award amount is a combination of the two.
According to the Georgia Department of Transportation, the goal of the grants, totaling $2.2 million, is to improve median parks and develop trail and streetscape projects that will enhance pedestrian safety.
Thomas County’s grant will focus on right of way needed for sidewalk construction and drainage improvements in the city of Thomasville.
“Strengthening and creating opportunities in rural Georgia is one of my top priorities,” said Governor Brian P. Kemp. “The TAP grants awarded are an excellent opportunity for smaller communities and local governments to move alternative transportation projects forward that will have positive and long-lasting benefits for the residents and visitors to rural Georgia.”
Georgia DOT Commissioner Russell R. McMurry, P.E., said the Department is proud to partner with FHWA to facilitate and administer the TAP grants.
“One of our most important initiatives is ensuring the safety of the public and these projects, while not traditional road improvement projects, certainly lend themselves to enhancing the safety of the pedestrians of Georgia,” McMurry said.
