Lorain, Ohio secured $1 million in federal funding to design 3.3 miles of new and improved roads and multi-use paths, the first step in a long effort to modernize infrastructure in the struggling Lake Erie port city.

The grant, announced this week through the Department of Transportation's RAISE program, only covers planning and design work. If Lorain wants to actually build what gets drawn up, it will need to compete for construction funding later, likely requiring $20 million or more depending on the final design.

For a city of 65,000 that's lost a third of its population since the steel mills closed, even a planning grant represents progress. Lorain's median household income sits around $41,000, well below state and national averages, and the city often lacks the money to hire engineers and draft the kinds of detailed proposals that win competitive federal grants. This $1 million gives Lorain that technical capacity.

The project will focus on connecting neighborhoods to the city's lakefront and port area, which Lorain has been trying to redevelop as an economic anchor after decades of industrial decline. The multi-use path component reflects federal transportation policy's growing emphasis on bike and pedestrian infrastructure, not just cars.

RAISE grants grew dramatically after the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act pumped $7.5 billion into the program through 2026. Lorain competed against hundreds of other cities. In 2023, only 13% of applicants won funding.

The city will begin the design process this year. How quickly Lorain can turn blueprints into actual pavement depends on whether it can secure construction funding before the Infrastructure Act's authorization expires.