The Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham is receiving $1,492,204 to address transportation needs.
The funds come from the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) Grants Program to "develop a fully integrated mobility system addressing the longstanding disinvestment in public transportation across Central Alabama," according to a March 15 news release from Alabama Democrat U.S. House Rep. Terri Sewell.
"Transit in Central Alabama hasn't seen major updates since the 90s," U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a March 21 Twitter post. "Our SMART grant will improve routes and dispatching, and help riders use a single system for their journey - making transit more accessible and reliable across Jefferson and Shelby County."
The money is coming from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the release reported. This will help forward the Biden-Harris administration's work to promote innovative transportation efficiency and safety.
"As the only member of Alabama's Congressional Delegation to vote in favor of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, I am thrilled to see the outpouring of critical investments like these coming to our communities," Sewell said in the release. "I am even more proud that the SMART Program provides an innovative avenue to revitalize our current transportation system. I applaud Secretary Buttigieg and the entire Biden-Harris administration for their continued dedication to investing in a sustainable and more equitable future."
The competitive SMART grants aim to revitalize existing transportation systems through technology used to solve real-world challenges facing often underserved communities, the release reported. The program is expected to be funded at $100 million through 2026 in two stages — Planning and Prototyping Grants and Implementation Grants.
The first state — planning and prototyping grants and implementation grants — encourages public sector project leaders to build internal buy-in and partnerships with various organizations, refining and prototyping their concepts along the way and reporting on results, according to the release.
