The Birmingham City Council on Tuesday voted to put $16.5 million toward converting 4th Avenue North from a one-way to a two-way street. Officials say the change will help boost economic activity in a traditionally underserved area.

The conversion will take place from 24th Street North to 9th Street North through the downtown corridor.

While the council agreed to put $2 million in local revenue toward the project, the rest of the money comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program Grant.

According to a news release from the department, the program aims to reconnect communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago. In Birmingham’s case, Interstate 65 split up prominent Black neighborhoods and business districts along 4th Avenue North. This effect only worsened when the thoroughfare went to a one-way street in the 1970s.

Making the 4th Avenue North a two-way street will help slow traffic and increase access to the businesses along the corridor, officials say.

The conversion is one of 132 projects that received $3.3 billion through the program, which was bolstered by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Officials announced the recipients in March of last year.

In Support of GASP on Earth Day

In other business, the council passed a resolution in support of the Greater Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution, also known as GASP.

“It’s perfect that we coordinated this to happen on Earth Day,” said Councilor Crystal Smitherman, who presented the resolution to members of the group Tuesday. “We wanted to present this resolution to encourage residents and the city as a whole to continue efforts to make Birmingham safer for everyone.”

According to city staff, the resolution addresses issues such as pedestrian safety, government transparency and stormwater management.

The resolution came as the council voted to name the nonprofit Penny Foundation as the professional services provider for a $60,000 grant from Johns Hopkins University related to the Bloomberg American Sustainable Cities program. According to city staff, the project will fund an innovation team with “expertise in data analysis, insight development, human-centered design, systems thinking and project management to bolster city capacity in driving progress on climate mitigation and promoting equitable outcomes.”

The council’s agenda states the agreement will last until February 2027, and the foundation will use no more than 10% of the grant to administer the program.