Washington, D.C. — Rep. Lucy McBath (D-GA) applauds a $5 million grant awarded to Cobb County and the Cumberland Community Improvement District (CID), which she requested earlier this year in a letter to U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao. Last month, McBath spoke directly with Adam Sullivan, Assistant Secretary for Government Affairs at the U.S. Department of Transportation, to request the Department’s support for the project.
“This grant award is a huge win for Georgia,” McBath said. “As someone who travels through this area each week, I am thrilled to help increase safety and reduce travel time in our area. This project will also provide greater economic opportunity and improve the quality of life for people living and working in Georgia’s Sixth District. My office will continue to work across the aisle to bring home federal dollars that fund exciting initiatives like this.”
The Akers Mill Ramp is an integral piece of a infrastructure reform plan for one of the busiest interstate intersections in the southeast and has long enjoyed support from local, state, and federal stakeholders. This project includes a 24-foot-wide reversible ramp. Several members of Georgia’s Congressional Delegation wrote letters of support in the past. Despite the bipartisan support, three previous attempts to secure federal funding for the project failed between 2016 and 2018.
Phase 1 of the Akers Mill Ramp project raised $24 million in funds from state and local stakeholders. The $5 million allocated by the U.S. Department of Transportation closed the funding gap needed to complete the project. Over $14 million in funding for Phase 2 of the project was committed by the Cumberland Community Improvement District, Cobb County, the State Road & Tollway Authority, and the Atlanta Regional Commission, but these commitments were dependent on the successful allocation of the $5 million from the Department of Transportation.
The Akers Mill Ramp project is located in Georgia Congressional Districts 6 and 11, and also impacts District 13. Phase 2 of the project will begin construction in 2021.
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