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Glynn County gives consensus to seek federal active-transportation grant, staff to issue design RFP
Summary
County staff received commissioner consensus to pursue an RFP for design work to position the Martin Luther King/Altama corridor for a U.S. DOT Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program grant; estimated construction costs were discussed and SPLOST was identified as a potential local funding source for design.
At the Aug. 20, 2024 Glynn County Board of Commissioners work session, county staff asked for and received a non-binding consensus to proceed with a design request for proposals that would support an application for the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program.
Assistant County Manager John Gentry and Monica Harton, the county grants manager, presented the Martin Luther King Boulevard/Altama Corridor study and described the corridor as a multimodal route that links key destinations including the College of Coastal Georgia, Brunswick High School and the hospital. Harton said the corridor is roughly 4–6 miles long (approximately 2 miles in county jurisdiction) and that a 2022 BATS study identified limited pedestrian/bicycle space and insufficient crossings.
Staff estimated a construction cost range of about $8.15 million to $16 million and used a working figure of roughly $15 million for planning purposes. Harton explained that the DOT program supports planning, design and construction but requires a local cash match and that design readiness will improve the county’s competitiveness for construction funding. She recommended a potential MOU with the City of Brunswick to split design costs by mileage and proposed using SPLOST funds for design.
Commissioners asked technical questions about routing, whether bicyclists could navigate median islands, connectivity to Highway 17 and potential use of rail corridors and the East Coast Greenway. Staff said the BATS study provided multiple alternatives and that design work will determine right-of-way needs and acquisition requirements. The grant cycle opens in spring 2025, staff said, giving time to complete design and permitting work.
With a consensus to move forward on the RFP (a non-funding step), staff said they would draft an MOU and return with proposed design-cost shares and phasing options. The commission did not commit county construction funds at the meeting; any later funding commitment would be subject to separate approval processes and SPLOST budgeting.
