WASHINGTON D.C. - The City of Greenville has been announced as a recipient of one of three United States Department of Transportation Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) grants awarded to the State of North Carolina.

Greenville will receive $15 million to support its Transportation Access, Safety and Connectivity (TASC) Investment Project, a multimodal improvement project to enhance the city's vehicle, pedestrian, and bicycle infrastructure. The project will include roadway realignment and resurfacing, as well as the extension of greenway space, construction of a multi-use path, and conversion of an abandoned rail.

The announcement was made Wednesday by the offices of North Carolina Senators Thom Tillis and Richard Burr. Tillis, Burr, and others from Greenville's federal delegation played a critical role in the grant process, including organizing and attending initial meetings with stakeholders and USDOT staff to enhance applications before they were submitted, attending pitch meetings with stakeholders and USDOT staff, and providing advice and counsel on USDOT priorities that stakeholders were able to highlight in their applications.

"We are thrilled to learn that we have been approved for this funding that will help us improve safety, accessibility, and connectivity in Greenville's urban core and link residents, employees, students, and visitors to centers of education, employment, innovation, entrepreneurship, culture, entertainment, and recreation," Greenville Mayor P.J. Connelly said. "We greatly appreciate the numerous local partners for their assistance, and especially want to thank Senator Thom Tillis, Representative Mark Meadows, Senator Richard Burr, Representative G.K. Butterfield, and Representative Greg Murphy for recognizing the impact that our proposal would have on Greenville and supporting our efforts."

 

The Greenville TASC Project, which creates a complete multi-modal network in the West Greenville, Medical District, and Uptown District, includes several components:

• West Fifth Street Phases II, III, IV including the construction of two roundabouts, roadway resurfacing, and pedestrian and bicycle improvements including ADA compliant sidewalks, enhanced pedestrian safety lighting, brick paver crosswalks, and dedicated bicycle lanes. This work extends from Ford Street in West Greenville to Cotanche Street in the Uptown District.
• South Tar River Greenway expansion from Moye Boulevard to Fifth and 10th Streets.
• Town Common Connector providing a greenway connection from Fifth Street to First Street including a pedestrian bridge over the Town Creek Culvert area.
• ECU Millennial Campus Connector including the conversion of an abandoned rail spur and rail wye into two multi-use paths to provide non-vehicular access between the Millennial Campus and the Uptown District.
• Moye Boulevard Sidewalk Expansion to improve connectivity and access to the Medical District and the 10th Street Connector.

"This project will be transformational for our community," Connelly said. "By making these transportation enhancements, we are improving access to jobs and education through connectivity with the Medical District, Uptown, and ECU. One of the primary beneficiaries will be our West Greenville neighborhood which will experience expanded private economic investment and an improved quality of life for residents of the area."

 

The City of Greenville received more than 20 letters of support for its application, and six different entities provided local matching funds to support to the project. Partners for the project include the Greenville Urban Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (GUAMPO), the North Carolina Department of Transportation, ECU, the North Carolina and Pitt County Arts Councils, Taft Family Ventures, and Vidant Health.

 

A total of $51 million was awarded in the three grants for North Carolina. Other recipients included the North Carolina Department of Transportation ($22.5 million) for the widening of I-95 and raising of two bridges between Lumberton and Fayetteville and the Town of Mooresville ($13.6 million) for the construction of a new 1.7-mile roadway from I-77 to NC-115/Mecklenburg Highway.