Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Transportation topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Airway Heights council backs pursuit of $19 million federal grant to revamp US 2 corridor
Summary
City leaders unanimously approved moving forward with a federal grant application that could bring roughly $19 million to rebuild the US 2 corridor, but staff warned a $3 million local match would be required and could limit other projects.
Airway Heights city leaders voted unanimously to pursue a federal grant to fund a roughly $19 million reconstruction of the US 2 corridor, with staff cautioning that the application requires a substantial local match.
City Manager Albert Tripp and other council members described the application as highly competitive and said winning would accelerate safety and beautification work along US 2. "The overall grant's about $19,000,000 of which 3,000,000 would be of a local match," Tripp said, noting the local match would likely draw on transportation-district and REIT funds and could reduce the city's capacity to accept other opportunities.
The council heard staff trace the corridor project's history: earlier design investments (about $3 million in design funds) and recent state and federal awards that helped move the project toward shovel readiness. Staff and council members emphasized safety concerns on the corridor and the project's potential to make downtown more of a destination. One council member said the work could "be transformative" for the city and local businesses.
Staff and council members also noted that accepting the grant would not immediately spend local match money; if the grant application fails, committed funds would remain available for other uses. The briefing emphasized the application is only the next step; any awarded grant and resulting contracts or grants would return to council for approval.
The council approved the consent agenda that included authorization to submit the federal grant application and signaled political outreach plans, including a possible flyover and meetings with state and federal delegation members to support the city's priorities.
The next procedural steps are to submit the application and continue advocacy with legislative delegations; project design funding and permit steps will follow if the city is awarded funds.
