Forward Pinellas Opens Grant Funding To Improve Transportation

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Forward Pinellas is now accepting applications from local governments or regional partners in Pinellas County for three grant programs.

The Complete Streets, Transportation Alternatives and Multimodal Priority programs are designed to make streets more accessible, improve infrastructure for people walking and on bike, and improve mobility in Pinellas County.

Forward Pinellas developed these incentive programs to assist local governments’ ability to focus on safety and accessibility for everyone in the community while encouraging redevelopment and economic growth.

Applications are due to Forward Pinellas for evaluation this fall, with staggered deadlines for each funding program.

Grant programs Include:

• Complete Streets Grant Funding

The Complete Streets Program provides opportunities for transformative land use changes by creating opportunities for walkable, bikeable and more livable communities. Previous projects awarded include funding for the revitalization of historic neighborhoods and redevelopment for more comfortable places along Disston Avenue in Tarpon Springs, 54th Avenue North in Lealman and 78th Avenue in Pinellas Park, as well as construction funding for projects in Oldsmar, Dunedin, Largo and St. Petersburg.

• Transportation Alternatives Grant Funding

Transportation Alternatives is a federal funding program that can be used for the construction of smaller-scale pedestrian and bicycle projects, as well as infrastructure to improve non-driver access to transit. Previous projects awarded include bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Central Avenue in St. Petersburg, new multiuse trail construction along 118th Avenue in Pinellas Park and new sidewalk construction in the Lealman community.

• Multimodal Priority Projects Program

Through the Multimodal Priority Projects Program, Forward Pinellas funds projects that improve mobility and accessibility for everyone in the county while supporting the Pinellas County's redevelopment goals. Current priorities include widening 126th Avenue North in Pinellas Park, improving the intersection of Alternate U.S. 19 and Curlew Road in Dunedin, adding infrastructure for the Cross Bay Ferry service in St. Petersburg, purchasing additional vehicles for regional vanpool services managed by the Tampa Bay Regional Transit Authority and improving the roadway along Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard South in St. Petersburg for bicyclists and pedestrians.

Over the past four years, the Forward Pinellas Board has awarded more than $6.5 million toward the Complete Streets projects, prioritized seven new Transportation Alternatives projects and added three new Multimodal projects to the priority list to increase mobility and make roads safer for all users, no matter the mode of transportation, age or ability.