Cohen Commends Mayor Wharton, City of Memphis on Completion of Restoration of Airways Boulevard Bridge
[MEMPHIS, TN] –Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-9) commended Mayor A C Wharton, Jr. and the City of Memphis today on the completion of the restoration of the Airways Boulevard Bridge over Noncannah Creek, bringing to a close the $5.5 million project that will grant Memphians safer and more expedient access to the Memphis International Airport, and that will keep the surrounding area active and accessible. The project to replace the Airways Boulevard Bridge was a collaborative effort between the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the City of Memphis, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA).
“The Airways Boulevard Bridge is an important fixture in our Memphis economy,” said Congressman Cohen. “The airport is the gateway to Memphis, and the Airways Boulevard Bridge is the pathway many travelers rely on to transport them safely to and from that gateway. I am pleased that the City of Memphis was able to secure such robust federal funding through FEMA in order to restore the bridge to safe, working order, and that the citizens of Memphis will be able to utilize the restored bridge having used only a small portion of city funds.
The City of Memphis must continue to work to receive its fair portion of federal dollars. I was pleased on December 18th to have voted in favor of the Fiscal Year 2016 Omnibus federal spending bill, which included the $4 million increase I requested for funding to end the rape kit backlog, made permanent the Earned Income Tax Credit, the Child Tax Credit, the education tax credit for college students and teachers, and included funding to federal agencies such as FEMA so that they can continue to provide much-needed federal dollars to cities like Memphis for vital restoration projects such as the Airways Boulevard Bridge. Completion of the bridge will help Memphians and visitors travel to and from the Memphis International Airport, and I am pleased that the City of Memphis was able to work with state and federal agencies to complete this important restoration project.”
The $5.5 million project to replace the Airways Boulevard Bridge over Noncannah Creek began in late 2013. The City of Memphis was awarded a grant covering 75% of the construction costs of a replacement bridge through the FEMA’s Hazard Mitigation Grant Program in 2011. TEMA awarded a grant covering a further 12.5% of construction costs, leaving the City of Memphis responsible for the remaining 12.5% of construction costs.