Kaptur Announces Over $23 Million Federal Award For Construction Of Glass City Riverwalk
Toledo, OH – Today, Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) released the following statement announcing $23,668,160.00 in federal funds awarded to the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments (TMACOG) and Toledo Metroparks as a federal contribution for the construction of the planned Glass City Riverwalk. The award is being administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development (BUILD) Transportation Discretionary Grants program. DOT will make further details available to the public on September 15th.
"I am extraordinarily pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Transportation will invest over $23 million to improve the public spaces along the Maumee River in downtown Toledo," said Rep. Kaptur. "This funding will help construct more than one mile of shared-use paths, transient docks, transit facilities, bike and kayak sharing facilities, and important repairs to the existing seawall along the Maumee River. This project, which will be carried out by TMACOG and Toledo Metroparks, will have a direct positive impact on our shared Toledo community. Toledoans have long waited for additional recreational opportunities along our precious waterfront and this federal investment, with leveraged local resources, will soon make this long-held dream a reality. TMACOG and Metroparks, through unprecedented collaboration with our residents, business community, local governments, and now the federal government, have presented a perfect model for working together, which will lead to progress and the improved well-being of our citizens."
"TMACOG and our members are very pleased to have submitted a Build Grant for this project and are extremely happy to learn of its funding," said Tim W. Brown, President of TMACOG. "The Glass City Riverwalk will be a tremendous asset for Toledo and our entire region."
"Plans for the Glass City Riverwalk continue to gain momentum because it's the right project at the right time," said Dave Zenk, Executive Director of Toledo Metroparks. "This project is built on partnerships and it will succeed because of partnerships. We are incredibly grateful for Congresswomen Kaptur's leadership and support in securing this tremendous grant. Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz and Tim Brown of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments were also instrumental collaborators in this effort. We are on the cusp of realizing a vision that has been decades in the making. All arms of government, business and community leaders are working together in ways never seen in Toledo before. With public support of Metroparks' issue 17 on the November ballot we will see an immediate return on our investment and change the region- forever!"
The Glass City Riverwalk (GCR) is a transformative project in the heart of Toledo. Taking advantage of the region's greatest asset, the Maumee River, the GCR seeks to:
- Support and encourage multi-modal transportation options to and from points of interest
- Stimulate economic growth with infrastructure that supports a diversity of programming opportunities
- Implement a shared-use path network that encourages physical and mental health
- Transform the riverfront with a fresh appearance that connects people to the Maumee River
- Integrate urban ecology strategies that improves water quality and manages stormwater