Twenty three small cities and villages around Michigan were awarded transportation grants to help fix roads and infrastructure.
Cities with populations under 10,000 are eligible to apply for and receive the grant.
Kurt Giles is the city manager for St. Louis in Gratiot county. He said the grant will help the city with construction on Maple Street, and allow the city put the money it would have spent on the road work elsewhere in the budget.
“What’s underlying is the need for other utility upgrades like water distribution and wastewater collection systems and that really has been a challenge, so this is very helpful to have extra funding to go toward the transportation portion of it,” Giles said
According to the Michigan Department of Transportation, grants awarded this year range from $20,000 to $250,000.
MDOT Transportation Economic Development Fund Program Manager Michael Leon said the grants will help cities that might not be able to afford funding on their own.
“Especially for cities and villages roads that are not eligible for any other kind of federal or state aid, this kind of funding would be available for them to work on those kind of streets such as a classification of local streets,” Leon said.
Grants will be awarded to small cities and villages every year through 2023. Cities that will receive funding in 2020 will be announced at the end of May.
A list of all the cities and villages receiving funding can be viewed here.