Hamilton County officials will pursue up to $3 million in federal funding to address hazardous road conditions like flooding, which fits into a larger effort to enhance the county’s grant-seeking efforts.
“My understanding is before this administration — at least on the infrastructure side — the county did not typically pursue competitive grants,” Nathan Janeway, the county’s director of development services, told commissioners during their meeting Aug. 9. “Part of that was due to the match needed to go after many of those grants.”
Since he was hired in January, Janeway said earlier this month, the county has applied for $200 million of federal and state money, the vast majority of which is focused on improving road infrastructure, and it has been awarded nearly $4 million.
The $3 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation would allow officials to complete a comprehensive study of Hamilton County and the city of Chattanooga to assess flooding on major roads, steep slopes and other environmental factors, Janeway said. It would not require a match. The Hamilton County Commission authorized staff to apply for the funding during its meeting Wednesday.
If it receives the grant, Janeway said, the county would hire a consulting firm to provide a list of recommendations and possibly complete design work, enabling the county to have projects ready when new state or federal funding becomes available.