Mobile officials are renewing a push to redevelop the Broad Street corridor that circles much of downtown, applying once again for a competitive federal transportation grant to help pay for the long-delayed project.
The Mobile City Council gave unanimous approval for the Stimpson administration to seek roughly $13.6 million through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program, commonly known as TIGER. If awarded, the city would be responsible for a local match of about $3.3 million.
This marks the second consecutive year the city has applied for TIGER funding to support the “Bring Back Broad Street” initiative, an effort that traces back more than a decade and envisions turning the thoroughfare into a “complete street” designed for pedestrians, cyclists, transit riders and drivers alike.
The plan calls for rebuilding stormwater drainage, roads and sidewalks along Beauregard and Broad streets, while adding bike lanes, medians, street lighting and landscaping to a stretch of the city that officials say has lagged in economic investment.
City planners believe tying the Broad Street project to other federal investments already flowing into the area could strengthen this year’s application. Those include U.S. Housing and Urban Development funding for the Roger Williams Homes and Thomas James Place developments, along with a U.S. Interior Department grant supporting a planned walking trail along Three Mile Creek.
Community planning officials noted that Mobile’s federal standing may have improved after HUD awarded the Mobile Housing Board a Choice Neighborhood Planning grant earlier this year, a designation that could make the broader corridor of investment more attractive to federal transportation reviewers.
Under the current proposal, a portion of the roadway project would extend down Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, linking the corridor to both housing developments and the planned Three Mile Creek trail.
City officials said this year’s application includes additional statistical data requested by federal reviewers after last year’s unsuccessful bid, and they expressed confidence the project aligns closely with the grant program’s public policy goals.
The application deadline is June 5, and the city will compete against similar roadway proposals from municipalities across the country. Mobile first adopted the Bring Back Broad Street redevelopment strategy in 2006, building on planning work that began in 2002, with an initial construction phase completed in 2007.