Aug. 22—ALBANY — Athens and Atlanta scored big in awards from a $2.2 billion pot of federal grant money for transportation projects, but with Albany failing to make the cut, a source of funding for the Albany-to-Sasser trail project slipped away.

Athens and Atlanta were each awarded $25 million for the "Reimagine North Avenue" and the Five Points MARTA station, respectively, in Rebuilding America with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) grant funding.

The city of Albany put in an application for funding to cover much of the estimated $18.265 million cost for the 13.6-mile trail. The city applied for a grant covering $14.62 million of that amount.

Prior to the decision in April to apply for the grant money, the city had been under the shadow of a lawsuit alleging breach of contract in completing the project in a timely manner.

"Obviously we're disappointed," Mayor Bo Dorough said Monday. "These projects seem to be funded in toto rather than piecemeal. I don't know what the considerations were, the density of the population or the time the application had been in the queue. It's a limited amount of money."

Assistant City Manager Bruce Maples informed Albany City Commission members that Albany wasn't among the 166 projects funded through RAISE grants.

The Albany-to-Sasser trail is part of a trail system developed with multiple branches throughout Dougherty County. It includes a section from Radium Springs to the Flint Riverfront Park area, which is being developed by the county, and a section linking the trail to Chehaw Park.

In the city, the section from the river to Monroe Street has been completed.

Asked what's next, the mayor responded that it depends on how South Georgia Rails to Trails reacts. The city purchased the former Rail Corridor connecting North Monroe Street to Sasser from the group in 2015.

SGRT sued the city in August 2020 claiming breach of contract. It contends the purchase contract required the city to complete the project within five years.

Another possibility for rail funding is through the Georgia Department of Transportation. The city would be required to match about 20% of costs for the $700,000 grant and could then seek additional funding for construction once that step is completed, a process that more than likely would take several years.

The city's Engineering Department has previously produced an engineering design for a paved trail.

Much of the expense would be for two underpasses to allow pedestrians to walk under two state roadways, Dorough said.

"I didn't really appreciate the implications to that, basically putting a box that is supporting the state highway," he said. "That's a major construction project."

Another option is seeking out new partners, Commissioner Chad Warbington said.

"I think the first question is whether Lee County wants to participate this time," he said. "In the past they did not."

The Rails to Trails board will meet to discuss its next step, SGRT President Bo Johnson said. In March, as the city was discussing the possibility of acquiring a federal grant, he said the two sides were trying to work out the issue.

"I haven't met with my board yet, so we don't have any official comment at this time," said Johnson, who had been notified that the RAISE grant was not on the list of approved projects. "That's disappointing, obviously. That would have been a great opportunity for us.

"We're going to meet to decide the next step. I'm going to decline to comment until they give an official statement."