This is the second Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) and City of Savannah to support activities related to the federal earmark and Reconnecting Communities grant for the removal of the I-16 at Montgomery Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard ramp and overpass.

In December 2023, the City approved the first MOA with GDOT to formalize preliminary engineering commitments tied to a federal earmark for planning the removal of the I-16 Flyover Ramp from Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard to Montgomery Street. Under this agreement, GDOT received the $720,000 earmark with the City providing a required local match of $180,000 to initiate the project's preliminary engineering phase.

In 2024, the City was awarded a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program to support planning activities associated with the removal of the I-16 Ramp.  The total award of $2,250,000 includes a $1.8 million request in planning funds and a $450,000 local match to support the creation of a comprehensive redevelopment plan, conceptual designs, environmental studies, and a community outreach program.

The USDOT, GDOT, and the City recognize that a portion of the Reconnecting Communities grant can support preliminary engineering work currently underway through GDOT under the first MOA, including concept planning and community engagement. This MOA will allocate $1,040,000 from the Reconnecting Communities federal grant along with a $260,000 local match to GDOT to accelerate the project's progress.

The approval of the MOA will facilitate further advancement of the removal of the exit ramps with the intent of restoring the historic street grid, improving connections between surrounding neighborhoods, downtown, Canal District, and new arena, and spurring redevelopment opportunities over the reclaimed eight acres of land in downtown Savannah for housing, businesses, civic spaces, and other community needs.

Approval of the Second Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between the Georgia Department of Transportation and the City of Savannah to proceed with conceptual planning and public engagement for the removal of the I-16 ramp and overpass at Montgomery Street and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard, and to authorize the use of up to $1,040,000 in Reconnecting Communities grant funding along with a $260,000 local match to support these efforts (PI No. 0011744).