A week before the deadline, the city administration is moving forward with an application for Akron Innerbelt funding. Earlier this year, the U.S. Department of Transportation moved the grant deadline earlier, combining three years’ worth of funding into one application. With a new deadline of Sept. 30, the city needed to speed up the project planning timeline. The city selected design firm Sasaki to assist with the project, moving forward with preliminary plans for the application. At Monday’s City Council meeting, members approved an ordinance that formally allows the application for and potential acceptance of funding from the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program. “Our goal is to present a grant application that provides a viable plan for east/west connectivity including improvements to Vernon Odom Boulevard to support the neighborhood most harmed by the Innerbelt development,” said Akron Mayor Shammas Malik in a news release Tuesday. The RCP is offering $607 million for the 2024-2026 application cycle, which will be focused on improving access to “daily needs such as jobs, education, healthcare, food, nature, and recreation,” according to its website. The Capital Construction Grant, for which Akron is applying, is meant to improve access to communities that are at a disadvantage due to transportation infrastructure. If Akron wins the grant, it plans to use the funds to offset the costs of the design and construction of the Akron Innerbelt Master Plan. The city is requesting $10 million from the grant fund. The funds would be awarded next year, and the city would have five years to spend the money and raise matching funds, said City of Akron Planning Director Kyle Julien in the Planning and Economic Development Committee Meeting Monday.The grant requires a 50% cost share — meaning the cost of the Innerbelt project must be split between RCP funds and local funds, which a news release from Akron Mayor Shammas Malik’s office states could be raised over the next five years. “This application gets our foot in the door in an important way,” Julien said, referring to soliciting assistance from the DOT and additional funding sources. Although the Innerbelt planning committee has not engaged with the community prior to submitting the application because of the time constraints, Julien said that does not change the commitment to work with the community going forward. “We’re working feverishly with our consultants to map out a feasible application for next week, with a scope of work that can and likely will be amended as we move forward with this plan,” he said. The post Akron races to meet Innerbelt grant funding deadline appeared first on Signal Akron.First published by Signal Akron.