WDAM-TV Hattiesburg
Hattiesburg receives $13M federal grant for downtown overpass project
By Chris Thies
HATTIESBURG, Miss. (WDAM) - The City of Hattiesburg is getting $13.2 million of additional funding for a railroad overpass project downtown.
“Today, two years of grant applications, planning meetings with our congressional delegation and a lot of Hattiesburg spirit resulted in a phone call that will literally change the course of transportation in and around downtown Hattiesburg,” Mayor Toby Barker said in a statement.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Better Utilizing Investment to Leverage Development grant program.
In February, the city announced it received an initial $5.39 million federal grant for the project and planned to pay $6.6 million out itself.
The project includes two railroad overpasses on Hall Street and a roundabout intersection at James Street and Bay Street.
The project is being constructed to help traffic flow for drivers downtown and allow emergency responders to move freely even if a train is stuck on the tracks.
“This project will drastically improve public safety access and solve a longstanding challenge for the residents of our city,” said Barker. “We cannot thank Sen. Wicker, Sen. Hyde-Smith and Congressman Palazzo enough.”
The project is expected to cost a total of $26.62 million. This is phase two of a plan to build a new downtown route along Hall Avenue.
Barker said the $13.2 million BUILD grant is the largest grant the City of Hattiesburg has ever received.