TDOT Commisisoner Schroer Announces Air Quality Grants

CMAQ Grants Will Fund Diverse Group of Projects that Reduce Congestion and Improve Air Quality

Nashville, Tenn. – Tennessee Department of Transportation Commissioner John Schroer announced today the award of over $27 million in Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) grants in 11 communities across the state. The 31 grants will fund a wide range of transportation projects designed to reduce congestion and improve air quality.

Funded projects include expansions of the TDOT HELP truck program statewide, improvements in traffic signal timing, cleaner transit buses and alternative fuel vehicles purchases, and protected bicycle lanes in Chattanooga. The grants also include a multimodal river port in Clarksville, and expanded transit service in several areas. Another project will include the addition of a bicycle-pedestrian trail on the Harahan Bridge in downtown Memphis.

“These projects are helping our transportation network operate more efficiently, while also providing better transportation options for our citizens,” Commissioner Schroer said. “The result will be better air quality and reduced congestion, which improves the quality of life for Tennesseans and creates more livable communities all over the state.”

The CMAQ Program funds transportation projects that reduce air emissions from on-road sources (cars, trucks, buses) and non-road sources (locomotives, barges, road construction equipment), as well as projects that reduce traffic congestion. CMAQ projects are limited to nonattainment or maintenance counties where air quality fails to attain national health standards.  For most CMAQ projects, TDOT will provide 80 percent of the project funding, with the remaining 20 percent provided by the local project sponsor.

“From better traffic signal coordination in Gatlinburg to expanded park and ride options for several Memphis communities, many of these projects will offer great benefits to travelers across the state,” said Deputy Commissioner Toks Omishakin, Chief of TDOT’s Environment and Planning Bureau. “Through this program, we are also making great strides in our efforts to reduce emissions and improve air quality.”

For a list of CMAQ grant recipients and detailed information on each project, please visit http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/news/2014/cmaq/.

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