City seeking federal transportation grant for ‘Connecting the Cove’ project

Published on October 10, 2024

The City of Huntsville aims to enhance connectivity and plans to apply for a federal Transportation Alternatives grant to bring a vital project to fruition.

The "Connecting the Cove" project seeks to add 2,100 linear feet of sidewalk connection along Caldwell Lane and a half-mile extension of the Big Cove Creek Greenway from Cranfield Road to Caldwell Lane. The project would provide a missing link to the Big Cove Creek Greenway and the City's overall greenway master plan.

[Link]

The project will enhance connectivity to area residents, connecting multiple subdivisions and schools with the intent to eventually build out Big Cove Creek Greenway and connect Hampton Cove Preschool. It will ultimately create a walking and biking network that will connect area homes to safe and protected alternative transportation routes to schools.

"The alternative transportation corridor created through this project will help reduce traffic on busy U.S. 431 and takes a step toward the City's Vision Zero goals of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries," said Dennis Madsen, the City's Manager of Urban and Long-Range Planning. "Another benefit of the Connecting the Cove project is it promotes healthier modes of transportation, such as biking and walking."

The Transportation Alternatives grant is administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration. The City is requesting $640,000 in grant funding, which will cover 80% percent of the cost of the project.