$422,511 IN AIR QUALITY GRANT FUNDS AWARDED TO FIVE PROJECTS IN CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

Five exciting projects will be in the works in Central Oklahoma thanks to ACOG’s Air Quality Small Grant Program.

The City of Norman, the Central Oklahoma Transportation and Parking Authority (COTPA), the City of Oklahoma City, and the City of Midwest City were all awarded funds for a total of $422,511.

Projects include:

• Bicycle lanes on Webster Avenue and University Boulevard in Norman
• 100 bicycle racks installed throughout downtown Oklahoma City
• 80 new bus stops to be installed throughout Norman
• Bicycle lanes on Linwood Boulevard in Oklahoma City
• An active transportation corridor for bicyclists and pedestrians on Adair Boulevard in Midwest City

Bicycle and pedestrian facilities as well as transit improvement projects, such as these, exhibit high cost-effectiveness in reducing transportation-related emissions. Each project will also address safety by providing secure places for residents to walk and bicycle to destinations, park their bikes, and wait for the bus.

Each entity will be reimbursed 80% of the project cost with federal CMAQ funds and will provide 20% in local matching funds.

“Improving air quality in Central Oklahoma has been a decades-long goal in our organization,” said ACOG Deputy Director John Sharp. “The air quality in the neighborhoods surrounding these projects will see an improvement, because when people have safe and accessible transit and active transportation options, the fewer single-occupancy vehicles are on the road. It leads to less ozone forming pollutants and better air quality.”

ACOG will hold another Call for Projects for the Air Quality Small Grant Program in fall 2022.