Birmingham receives $14.5M to transform Historic 4th Avenue

The city of Birmingham is receiving $14,556,040 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation to convert Historic 4th Avenue —Birmingham’s Black Main Street—from a one-way to a two-way road.

Birmingham’s Historic 4th Avenue Business District

“Birmingham’s 4th Avenue Business District has a rich history of African American ingenuity and entrepreneurship. This major federal investment will help reconnect our communities and pave the way for strong and equitable growth!”

~ U.S. Congresswoman Terri Sewell

Historic 4th Avenue was a thriving hub of Black businesses and communities before it was divided by the construction of Interstate 65 in the 1960s. The monies for the project will be used to redesign 15 blocks of streets, converting them from one-way to two-way and reconnecting downtown neighborhoods and businesses.

A transformational project

The Historic 4th Avenue project resides in Birmingham City Council President Darrell O’Quinn’s 5th District. He calls the project “transformational.”

“The idea of converting downtown one-way streets back to two-way streets has been a priority objective of multiple downtown master plans. So, it’s a huge win for us to now have the funding to move from a long-talked-about idea to actual implementation. This project will make Fourth Ave North safer and more welcoming to pedestrians and benefit businesses by slowing traffic speeds and doubling their visibility from the street. 

A vibrant downtown with high-quality public spaces is an important component of an overall economic development strategy. So, I’m very excited to see this project get funded toward that end.”

~ Darrell O’Quinn, told Bham Now

If you haven’t been to 4th Avenue North lately, one of its most notable landmarks is the newly renovated Carver Theatre. There have been plans to bring back to life the Prince Hall Masonic Temple in the past few years. The business district is also a designated Main Street.

Have you traveled down 4th Avenue North lately? What are your thoughts about turning it into a two-way road? Tell us on social media by tagging us at @bhamnow