CDOT Offers Main Street Grants for COVID-19 Recovery

• Author: Bryan Miller
• Posted: 2023-12-03

Communities, especially small towns and small businesses, have suffered dire financial consequences as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Each state has some leeway in how it can use the CARES Act funds. The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) has decided to use some of its funds in order to give a lift up to the many small business owners who had to shut down, curtail their usual activities or handle expenses related to their own or their employees' infections with COVID-19. The CDOT grants are designed to take some of the pressure off small business owners and make it easier for residents to patronize their businesses in a way that is congruent with social distancing and hygiene guidelines. Read on to learn more about the different grants offered by CDOT, how they work and how your community could benefit from similar CARES Act funding.

Roadway for Restaurant and Retail Recovery

The Roadway for Restaurant and Retail Recovery grant received by the city of Aspen, CO, provides $50,000 for increasing the number of customers that retailers and restaurants can serve while maintaining COVID-19 social distancing requirements. Specifically, the Roadway for Restaurant and Retail Recovery includes plans to increase the number of eBikes and docking stations along the main streets of Aspen. This will facilitate easier access to popular areas and increase the ability of restaurants to offer meal deliveries via bike.

Alamosa Main Street Reconfiguration

In Alamosa, CO, officials received a grant to reconfigure Main St. (U.S. 160) from a one-way, three-lane highway to a one-way, two-lane highway. The extra space will be reassigned for public use. The $50,000 grant will allow the extra lane to be used for adding dining and retail space. Pedestrian-friendly features will also be added to the Main Street area. The reconfiguring will be done in a way that's COVID-19 compliant.

Littleton Weekends on Main Initiative Expansion

For years, Littleton, CO, has offered its Weekends on Main program. This program closes Main Street for community events, outdoor dining and music. The $50,000 grant received by Littleton expands this initiative. It allows for more weekends for the Weekends on Main to take place during the 2020 calendar year. The Weekends on Main will also be expanded to include more restaurants and retailers, including food trucks and farm stands that sell items ready to eat. The grant also includes some funding for increased outdoor dining tables and chairs as well as table service for guests. It will all be social distancing-compliant.

Enhanced Main Street Access in Frisco

A $50,000 grant awarded to Frisco by the CDOT allows the city to create new parklets, which are extensions of sidewalks into the space that used to be a parking lane. Doing this increases the amount of space that pedestrians have, so they'll be able to maintain the recommended six feet of social distancing when walking into and out of Main Street businesses. The grant will also cover some costs related to enhancing access to business and increasing pedestrian activities.

Sidewalk Expansion in Silt

Silt received a $32,421 grant in order to expand two segments of downtown sidewalks and connect them to nearby residential neighborhoods. Their grant also provides funding to widen the walking paths around a senior living community. This will allow people to maintain social distancing while going outdoors for exercise and fresh air.

Expansion of Park Space and Community Services in Oak Creek

Oak Creek received a $11,709 grant from CDOT in order to turn an old parking lot into a new community park. The funds will also allow the city to build a bicyclists' rest and repair station. The station will include a place for cyclists to put air in their bike tires or use common bike repair tools. A new outdoor eating space will also be added to the new pocket park.

Details About the CDOT Grants

The CDOT has not used all of its CARES Act allotment. It still has capacity to fund additional community projects. Each community that received a CDOT grant needed to provide a 10% match of funds in order to secure the money. These funds offer permanent improvements to the community's infrastructure, and everyone will benefit from it. If you'd like to see CARES Act funds spent in a similar way in your community, contact your city council, neighborhood association and state legislators in order to see if these grant funds could help your community the same way.