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Mayor: Cullman awarded $20.39 million federal grant for Highway 278; ALDOT to administer
Summary
Mayor Woody Jacobs told council members the city received a $20,390,000 MPDG award for Highway 278, obtained a state pass‑through letter so ALDOT will handle administration, and cautioned the work will be lengthy and disruptive during construction.
Mayor Woody Jacobs told the council on April 6 that the city was awarded a $20,390,000 Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG) to support work on Highway 278 and that the city secured a state 'pass‑through' letter to allow the Alabama Department of Transportation (ALDOT) to administer the grant.
"And that's a multimodal project discretionary grant that we did not think we would get," Mayor Woody Jacobs said, describing the award as larger than the city could have funded on its own. He said the MPDG complements roughly $13,500,000 that "a congressman" secured (the transcript did not name the member) and explained the next steps will include design work, utility relocation and possible bridge sequencing; he warned residents work will be slow and disruptive while staged construction proceeds.
Jacobs said the project remains largely in the early stages: design work is under way in some sections (the meeting records design percentages on portions of the corridor), and the city is coordinating with ALDOT on sequencing, right‑of‑way, and utility relocation. He encouraged residents to sign up for the city's mass‑communication system for project updates when street improvements and sewer work begin.
Why it matters: a multimillion‑dollar federal grant for a state highway corridor can reshape traffic flow, utility relocation and long‑term mobility in the community. The mayor framed the award as a significant, multi‑agency effort that will take years to complete and will require resident patience during construction.
What's next: ALDOT will handle administration of the MPDG funds per the state pass‑through arrangement described at the meeting; city staff will provide updates as design and utility relocation progress.
