Laurel is making road improvements thanks to a $25M grant. Get the details here

Laurel is getting some "Home Town" love from Uncle Sam this year with a nearly $25 million investment.

The money is a grant from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity program. RAISE distributed more than $2.2 billion for projects nationwide.

"This is a real game-changer for the city," Mayor Johnny Magee said. "It is by far the largest single grant that the city has ever been awarded."

The third time was the charm for Laurel, as its first two attempts for the grant were unsuccessful, Magee said. As an added bonus, the RAISE grant does not require the traditional 20% match by the city.

Magee said the long-planned corridor connecting U.S. 84 East with U.S. 84 West tops the city's wish list. The corridor also will streamline a connection between the city's west and east sides that will allow motorist to travel through the city "in a swift and efficient manner," he said.

The dream of having an east-west corridor through Laurel began more than 30 years ago, Magee said. The city at that time applied for funding for the project and received roughly $3.5 million — far less than what was needed.

"Since we never received additional funding for this project, we transferred these funds to be used on the newly completed Leontyne Price corridor, which is a gateway into downtown," Magee said.

That project's final cost was around $5.3 million. Now with $24,882,500 to work with, that longtime goal will become a reality.

"One of the aims of the grant was to connect various communities in the city, and this achieves that goal by connecting a low-income community with the rest of the larger community," Magee said.

The city has a large tourism base thanks in part to Laurelites Erin and Ben Napier, stars of HGTV's "Home Town" show. Improving the city's streets will not only make it easier for visitors to tour the renovated homes or show downtown, it also will make daily travel better for residents in all areas of the city.

Who's who in Laurel? Surprising celebrity list and facts about this Mississippi city

Mandy Hegwood, an engineer with Neel-Schaffer and Laurel Main Street board member said the grant will help the overall economy of Laurel and make the city easier to navigate. Neel-Schaffer worked with the city on the grant application.

"The grant is a great opportunity for the city and a great accomplishment," Hegwood said. "The grant really will extend beyond the downtown imprint and open up economic opportunities for growth throughout the city."

The grant also will help the city improve pedestrian, wheelchair and motor vehicle accessibility along the east-to-west corridor and allow people get to the downtown area much more easily, Hegwood said.

"There are a lot more components to it than just streetscape and roadway, it has a lot of safety improvements," she said.

One area of concern is the periodic flash flooding under the Teresa Street overpass, Hegwood said. With the grant, the city is able to partner with the Mississippi Department of Transportation to improve the drainage pumps and pipes in that area.

"By repairing the pumps and upgrading the drainage culvert size to be able to handle more rainwater, (it would alleviate) the flooding that occurs at the railroad underpass that floods after heavy rains, which has traditionally separated the community on the east side of town from the rest of the city to the west," Magee said.

So what can Laurelites expect to see in the coming months? Magee explained:

• The project will begin at Cooks Avenue on the east, traveling west down Teresa Street, through the 5-Point intersection where five streets come together. Magee said the five sets of traffic lights will be replaced by a roundabout to make traffic flow smoother and faster.

• The next step in the project will be in a southerly direction on Magnolia Street and go westward to Sawmill Road in front of the main post office.

• On Sawmill Road, the project will continue through the downtown area past the courthouse and tax office before wrapping into the roundabout at the north end of the Leontyne Price project.

• From there, it will continue on Sawmill Road to the intersection of U.S. 84 West.

The length of the project is approximately 1.7 miles, Magee said, and will allow for easier access to downtown from every direction.

"Those who have been accustomed to traveling this route will notice the efficient movement from east to west and also from west to east," the mayor said. "They will be able to maneuver the length of the project, and instead of having to wait patiently on seven separate traffic lights, they will be able to travel with fewer lights that will be synchronized along with at least one roundabout that will move them swiftly from one side of town to the other."

The road and infrastructure projects could not have been done without the grant funding, which was made possible with help from the state's senators.

"We would like to thank our friends in Washington, Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith and Sen. Roger Wicker for their support over the years in assisting the city in securing this very important grant, Magee said. "Laurel was among the select 15% of applicants nationwide to be awarded the RAISE Grant."

From Laurel to Louisville: Kenny Payne's fans in Mississippi cheer his return to Cardinals

Laurel was one of only two cities in Mississippi to receive RAISE grants this year. Meridian received $3.5 million to help complete the North Hills Street Project, which will include road widening and adding pedestrian and bicycle facilities and turn lanes. the project also will help the city reconfigure and realign existing intersections, install traffic signals, rehabilitate existing pavement and provide retaining walls.

The project is expected to improve safety, reduce congestion and promote walking and biking in Meridian.

“This round of RAISE grants is helping create a new generation of good-paying jobs in rural and urban communities alike, with projects whose benefits will include improving safety, fighting climate change, advancing equity, strengthening our supply chain and more,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release.

For more information on the RAISE program, visit transportation.gov/RAISEgrants.

Do you have a story to share? Contact Lici Beveridge at lbeveridge@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter @licibev or Facebook at facebook.com/licibeveridge.

This article originally appeared on Hattiesburg American: Laurel to make major road, infrastructure improvements with $25M grant