Athens-Clarke to receive a $25 million federal grant for improvements to North Avenue area
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Athens-Clarke County is set to receive a $25 million federal grant for downtown infrastructure to help improve the North Avenue area.
The grant will fund upgrades for bikers, pedestrians and bus riders.
The money comes from a federal grant known as the RAISE grant. Only two such grants were given in Georgia, the other being for the Five Points MARTA station in Atlanta.
The purpose of the grant in Athens is to make street improvements along North Avenue from downtown at the intersection of North Avenue and Willow Street up to the intersection of Freeman Drive and Collins Industrial Boulevard.
The improvements include upgrading 10 bus stops, sidewalks, a shared path for bikes, traffic signals for pedestrians and lighting.
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North Avenue will also be resurfaced along with drainage improvements.
“I’ve long said that Georgia needs a home improvement project,” said U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock of Georgia in a news release. “The bipartisan infrastructure law that Senator Ossoff and I made possible did just that: investing much-needed funding to revitalize our communities. I’m pleased to see federal funding coming to Athens to ensure the city is thriving for years to come.”
Democrat Warnock is currently running for re-election, facing Republican University of Georgia football icon Herschel Walker.
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Athens-Clarke Mayor Kelly Girtz said the grant-funded improvements will allow nearby residents greater access to places such as groceries and pharmacies.
“This project will create a permanent benefit to the thousands of families that live along the North Avenue corridor, particularly those for whom safe access to the center of Athens was blocked by complete lack of bike or pedestrian facilities across the Highway 10 Loop,” Girtz said in a news release. “Easy access to groceries and pharmacies, along with state resources like the Department of Labor office, will now be provided to these residents.”
This article will be updated as more information becomes available.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Federal grant will fund improvements along North Avenue in Athens GA
