Brookings Recieved over $900,000 for Multi-Use Path

 
A $913,000 grant has been approved for the Harris Beach Multi-Use Path Project, Brookings Mayor Larry Anderson announced today.
The project will include the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian path through Harris Beach State Park, connecting with the existing multi-use path which begins on the ocean side of Highway 101 near Ransom Avenue and extending to a juncture with Dawson Road.
The Brookings project is among 14 projects approved for funding by the Oregon Transportation Commission (OTC) using $15.9 million in federal Transpor­tation Enhancement (TE) funding. The projects, selected from 100 applications requesting almost $107 million, will become part of Oregon’s Statewide Transportation Improvement Program and will be scheduled for construction in 2013 and 2014.
“We are ecstatic about the announcement that our project was approved, “said Brookings Planning Director Dianne Morris. “Our staff worked closely with ODOT in preparing the application, and there was a tremendous outpouring of community support for the project.”
Morris gave special recognition to the work of Planning Secretary, Alex Carr-Frederick, who organized the community support effort. “Many people logged on to the OTC website and wrote letters of support for this project,” Morris said. “Community support was key to the success of this grant application.”
“Dianne Morris was the first to conceptualize this project,” said Mayor Anderson. “The project will provide a safe alternative for pedestrians and bicyclists travelling between the Dawson neighborhood, the new College, and downtown Brookings. We anticipate that this multi-use path will be used by local residents and visitors alike.”
The TE program provides federal funds for proj­ects that strengthen the cultural, aes­thetic and environ­men­tal value of the state’s transpor­tation system. Since 1992, the program has funded 190 projects statewide to help complete side­walk, bike path and streetscape projects, restore historic bridges and depots, and for beautification and interpretive sites that help travelers enjoy the scenery and history along Oregon highways.
TE projects are selected through a competitive process based on written application and field review. Recipients must supply matching funds to cover at least 10.27 percent of the project cost. In the case of the Brookings project, which was co-sponsored by the City and the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), the local match will be paid by ODOT, bringing the total amount of state and federal funding for the project to $1,017,000.
The TE program is managed by the Oregon Department of Transportation Local Government Section with staff in Salem and ODOT’s five regional offices. Information about the TE Program is available at: http://www.oregon.gov/ODOT/HWY/LGS under “Enhancement Program.”