City vies for $1.1 million grant to fund North Parkway sidewalk construction in Jackson

If awarded the $1.1 million grant from the Tennessee Department of Transportation, the southside of North Parkway is poised to receive new sidewalks stretching from Wallace Road to the Jackson-Madison County Health Department.

The City of Jackson, along with its partners at TLM Associates, have until July to submit their application for TDOT's Multimodal Access Grant. A 10% match contribution would be required of the city, totaling about $100,000.

If awarded, they will be notified in early 2025, though construction won't begin for three more years.

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A public input meeting was held at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, where TLM Associates Engineer Jennie Keel presented sketches of the sidewalk strategy.

The grant would fund phase three of sidewalk construction on North Parkway, the first two of which were funded by previously awarded Multimodal Grants.

Phase one is from the Jackson-Madison County Health Department to the Lynwood Kroger, with construction scheduled to begin within a year.

Phase two was funded in December 2023 for sidewalks from the Lynwood Kroger to Campbell Street.

"It's a very competitive grant," Keel said.

"We apply, everybody in the state applies, they typically only pick 15 to 20 per year, so we've gotten 'no's' in the past."

Engineering documents, blueprints, and budgets are sent to TDOT in the grant application. They fund the proposed project and establish a contract with the city.

The end goal is to eventually have sidewalks on North Parkway from the US 45 Bypass to Campbell Street, an approximately 2-mile stretch. A lack of sidewalks along busy main streets remains a public safety concern the city is tackling.

"We're trying to create an alternate route for people that don't have transportation to get to the hospital, to the health department, to the grocery store, to get home, to get to work," Keel said.

"It's a priority for the city to be able to provide pedestrian transportation."

In the fall, plans are in place to apply for a grant that would fund sidewalk construction from the North Parkway to Skyline Drive, a nearly one-mile stretch down Highland Avenue. Keel says this potential phase of sidewalk implementation comes as the most highly requested among Jackson residents.

Sarah Best is a reporter for The Jackson Sun. To support local journalism, subscribe to the Daily Briefing here

This article originally appeared on Jackson Sun: City vies for $1.1 million grant to fund North Parkway sidewalk construction in Jackson