Macon-Bibb to look for other funding after missing out on $14 million grant

A new funding source is needed after Macon-Bibb County missed out on a $14 million grant for transportation improvements along the Second Street Corridor.

Macon-Bibb County was among other Georgia governments not selected this week to receive a portion of highly competitive grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

In Macon-Bibb County, the plan was to use the $14 million to pay for electric buses, new bicycle lanes and sidewalks as part of an effort to better connect parts of the corridor.

The DOT awarded $500 million in grants to 39 projects out of 639 applications as part of its Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery grants.

County officials will work with the Macon Transit Authority to see if there are other grants or funding sources to pay for electric buses, which were the largest portion the grant application, said Macon-Bibb spokesman Chris Floore.

One option is buying electric buses over a period of time when other buses have to be replaced.

"The redevelopment of the Second Street Corridor is going to take many years, so we will continue to find ways to put in place a transit alternative along the route, along with the bicycle lanes, better sidewalks and shade trees. That way, we can encourage people to travel along there in ways other than their vehicles," Floore said in an email.

The next chance for funding is a $4 million to $5 million federal grant that would be used to purchase electric buses and pay for some related facility expenses and equipment for a charging station, MTA General Manager Rick Jones said.

"It's a short fuse on that," he said. "We have until Nov. 23 to get the application in. It's a smaller amount of money in the pot, so of course a lot of people are chasing after it, but we're going to go hard after that."

That application could be aided by $1.6 million set aside in a MTA capital project account that must be spent on buses.

"They encourage you to match (low emission or no emission) grants with a portion of capital funds," Jones said. "We are blessed that we've got (money) in there."

To contact writer Stanley Dunlap, call 744-4623 or find him on Twitter@stan_telegraph.

This story was originally published October 30, 2015 at 6:13 PM with the headline "Macon-Bibb to look for other funding after missing out on $14 million grant ."