Jackson receives federal grant for trail extension

Jackson is one of a dozen Southeast Missouri communities chosen to receive a combined total of $3.1 million in federal transportation alternative funds.

A committee of representatives from local regional planning commissions made the selections after reviewing 35 applications received in November, which included projects such as trails, sidewalks and historical preservation.

The funds are set aside by Congress for alternative transportation projects. The grants allow communities to "develop projects that improve the quality of a community and enhance the travel experience for people traveling by all modes," according to the Missouri Department of Transportation, which distributes the funds.

The $330,000 awarded to Jackson will fund the second phase of the city's Hubble Creek Recreation Trail project.

Once that phase is complete, the trail will connect City Park to the Jackson Community Center on East Deerwood Drive, public works director Rodney Bollinger said in an email. There also is a connection to Brookside Park.

The concrete trail will be 5,000 feet long and eight feet wide and will include safety lighting, wheelchair accessibility and a pedestrian bridge.

Jackson's comprehensive plan calls for improvements to several trails, with a long-term goal of eventually connecting all five of the city's parks.

Bollinger said the grant funds make up 80 percent of the project's total cost of $413,000. The city will contribute a 20 percent match of $82,600.

Initial estimates call for engineering work to be complete in mid-2015, and construction to be complete in late 2015 or early 2016, Bollinger said.

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

Pertinent address:

Jackson, Mo.