August 10, 2005

LANSING – Lieutenant Governor John D. Cherry, Jr. was in Sault Ste. Marie today to announce that new funding through the Small Urban Program will help with road improvement projects in the area.  Sault Ste. Marie and Chippewa County will receive two grants totaling $750,000.  The money is part of $15 million being provided to communities across Michigan.

“I am honored to bring good news to Sault Ste. Marie,” said Cherry.  “A strong and safe infrastructure is key to attracting and creating good jobs, and these new grants will help ensure that this community has safe and usable roads.”

The Lt. Governor, who was joined by State Representative Gary McDowell (D-Rudyard), announced that grants will be used to fund road projects in Sault Ste. Marie and Kinross Township.  The projects are expected to start sometime next year.

The Small Urban Program is an approach unique to Michigan.  The Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) initiated the program more than a decade ago in an effort to invest federal dollars in small urban communities in Michigan.  To be eligible for funding, projects must be in communities with a population base between 5,000 and 50,000, be located on the federal-aid highway system, and be consistent with regional land use and development plans.

The Lt. Governor’s visit to Sault Ste. Marie is part of a five-day tour of Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula which also includes stops in Boyne City, Cheboygan, Newberry, Wetmore, L’Anse, and Houghton.  During his trip, the Lt. Governor will be highlighting the Governor’s five-point economic plan which will jumpstart the economy and create tens of thousands of new jobs.