U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao today announced that the Trump Administration will award $9.26 million to Madison County for the Blake Bottom Road Widening Project.

The award is part of some $900 million in American infrastructure projects through the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program.

“The administration is targeting BUILD Transportation grants to repair, rebuild, and revitalize significant infrastructure projects across the country,” Chao said.

The project in Madison County will widen approximately 2.5 miles of Blake Bottom Road from two lanes to five lanes from Research Park Boulevard to Jeff Road.

By adding a travel lane in each direction, drainage improvements, and sidewalks, the project seeks to reduce crashes and more safely accommodate traffic increases expected from the separate Research Park Boulevard-Blake Bottom Road interchange project currently underway.

Fiscal Year 2019 BUILD Transportation grants are for investments in surface transportation infrastructure and have been awarded on a competitive basis to projects with a significant impact in their local or regional communities. BUILD funding supports roads, bridges, transit, rail, ports or intermodal transportation.