U.S. Secretary of Transportation to visit Mississippi
Secretary of the U.S. Department of Transportation Mr. Anthony Fox will be coming to the Alcorn State University School of Business Lecture Hall in Natchez, Miss. to announce the funding of the TRI-Mississippi Grant on Saturday, September 13, 2014 at 1:00 p.m.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has approved a $17.8 million TIGER VI grant application submitted by Claiborne County, along with Franklin and Jefferson counties and Alcorn State University. The funding will support the collaborative Three-County Roadway Improvements Program (TRI-Mississippi) to undertake critical roadway repairs to improve transportation reliability and safety in this rural area. The TIGER VI funding will improve substandard roads and aging, deteriorating bridges within the region. The work will improve access to regional employment centers, including Alcorn State University. It will also involve the rehabilitation of nuclear evacuation routes from the Grand Gulf Nuclear Generating Station.
Alcorn will receive $510,000 to build an access road to the surrounding farms. The work will also provide the University’s students and employees with safe roads and bridges to travel to and from campus, as well as an effective evacuation rout in case of emergency. ?
“Alcorn State is a central location for all three counties involved in the Three-County Roadway Improvements Program (TRI-Mississippi),” said Alfred L. Galtney, director of the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs at Alcorn. “This is an important initiative because it shows the University’s regional approach to community and economic development.”
Brenda Buck, county administrator for Claiborne County and lead applicant for the grant, expressed the role the University has played in this acquisition.
“Alcorn serves as glue for our counties as it has a great presence in southwest Mississippi. The University was instrumental in helping the counties obtain this grant, and among other things, we are thankful for the letter of support from Alcorn President Alfred Rankins Jr. and the feasibility component provided by the University. Through this grant, we developed stronger working relationships with Alcorn.”
