Downey receives $20 million in grants

DOWNEY - The city of Downey has been awarded $20 million in grant funding, specifically targeted for the replacement of the Florence Avenue bridge at the San Gabriel River, and rehabilitation of the Florence Avenue bridge that crosses the Rio Hondo River.Part of the money will also be used to implement a city-wide traffic signal system designed to assist public transportation. Downey applied and received about $17.5 million in federal grants through the Highway Bridge Program to replace the Florence Avenue bridge over the San Gabriel River and make repairs to the bridge that spans the Rio Hondo. Additionally, the city applied for funding from L.A. County Metro to cover the cost of matching funds for the San Gabriel River bridge. Downey was notified last Friday that its funding request was approved for $1.917 million. Separately, the city applifed for funding for the Citywide Transit Priority System, also through Metro. Downey was awarded $1.29 million to establish a traffic signal system, which will give an early or extended green light to public transit buses at signalized intersections along the Downey LINK and Metro bus routes when the buses are running behind schedule. The Citywide Transit Priority System was noted as a key recommendation under Downey's recently approved Civic Center Master Plan. "As a city, one of our visions is to find long-term solutions to help enhance city services and better serve our residents and this grant funding proves exactly that," said Mayor Mario Guerra. "We feel very fortunate to have been awarded these grants as it will allow us to fix our infrastructure, which ultimately benefits our residents."

********** Published: July 4, 2013 - Volume 12 - Issue 12