City Leaders Cross Fingers in Hopes of Grant to Fix West Jackson Avenue

By Alyssa Schnugg
News Editor
alyssa.schnugg@hottytoddy.com

Oxford is hoping to receive a $25M BUILD grant to improve West Jackson Avenue. The project calls for converting it from a five-lane road to a four-lane road with a raised median. The project will include quality of life aspects for cyclists, pedestrians and enhanced bus transit components.
Photo from Google maps

The city of Oxford is asking the federal government for some help in fixing West Jackson Avenue to make it safer for everyone, whether they are driving in a car, riding a bus, biking or walking down the road.

Last week the city submitted a grant application for the federal BUILD grant, which stands for Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development. Since its inception in 2009, Congress has appropriated nearly $7.1 billion for the grants.

The BUILD Grant program provides an opportunity for the Federal Department of Transportation to invest in infrastructure projects that have a significant local or regional impact. The grant funds projects with a focus on congestion relief, freight and transit connectivity, safety promotion, and economic enhancement.

Congress funded the program $900 million during this year’s transportation deal.

The Oxford Central Corridor project proposes to construct a 2.6-mile safety, quality of life and economic competitiveness project.

The project would provide improvements to West Jackson Avenue by converting it from a five-lane road to a four-lane road with a raised median. The project will include quality of life aspects for cyclists, pedestrians and enhanced bus transit components.

“It would provide for a safer route along Jackson Avenue West and the University of Mississippi campus by reducing crashes and delays by providing better access to jobs, goods and services, as well as enhance existing bus transit system by providing improved efficiencies at signalized intersections and providing safer loading and unloading areas,” said Oxford Mayor Robyn Tannehill.

The estimated cost for the project is $29,996,000. The city of Oxford is asking for a $24,996,000 grant with the city putting up $5 million toward the project.

“Both the University of Mississippi and Lafayette County Board of Supervisors submitted letters of support for our project and we are very appreciative,” Tannehill said last week. “Senators Roger Wicker and Cindy Hyde-Smith, Congressman Trent Kelly and Transportation Commissioner Mike Tagert submitted letters of support, as well.”