The city of Tipton did not get a $4 million federal grant to add amenities to a Highway 38 expansion, but city officials plan to apply again next year.
City Manager Brian Wagner said he hopes Tipton may have a better shot next year if feedback is provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which offers the Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development, or BUILD, grants.
“With a lot of grant programs, you can get the scoring sheets to see the areas that you might improve for a reapplication,” Wagner said.
The Iowa Department of Transportation already has approved $3.35 million to replace Highway 38, which runs north and south through Tipton. That project would start in 2021.
The city applied last summer for the BUILD grant to add a 1-mile bike path, decorative street lighting, a new traffic signal and conduits under the street for fiber broadband. The goal is to improve amenities to recruit new businesses and families to the city of 3,200 in Cedar County.
The U.S. DOT announced BUILD grant recipients earlier this week. Two other Iowa projects received funding.
The Central Iowa Water Trail in Des Moines will get $25 million for the first phase of a project that will include mitigating a dangerous low-head dam. Dubuque County got $5.4 million for road repairs and a trail extension on the northwest side of Dubuque.
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