LANSING- Sen. Jim Barcia (D-Bay City) today praised the awarding of $132,500 for landscaping improvements to the Alger rest stop located adjacent to I-75 in Bay County. The funding will provide a mixture of native plants over a six-acre area of the site. Native plants will increase the water quality in adjacent Wells Creek and associated tributaries by filtering water through larger root systems than those contained in normal turf grass.

The grant is part of the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) federal Transportation Enhancement (TE) grant program.

"We all know the importance of beautification in our efforts to promote and increase tourism in Michigan as part of our economic recovery," Sen. Barcia said. "This award will further those efforts in an environmentally sound manner, while at the same time creating jobs to accomplish the project. This is both a quality of life issue as well as an economic stimulus."

The total project cost of $132,500 is comprised of $106,000 in federal TE funds and $26,500 in matching funds from MDOT.

Under federal law, 10 percent of federal surface transportation funds are set aside for TE projects. Administered by MDOT, the grants enable communities to invest in streetscapes, non-motorized trails and various beautification projects. TE funds provide a maximum of 80 percent of the money required for each project, with the remainder coming from state and local government and the private sector.

# # #