A plan to rework part of Russellville Road near Western Kentucky University’s campus saw renewed attention last week after Bowling Green city commissioners approved a grant application for $2.3 million to the U.S. Department of Transportation that would cover planning and design costs for the project.

Tuesday’s vote marks the fourth time the city has applied for funding for the project. If all goes to plan, the project would widen Russellville Road to four lanes between the intersections with University Boulevard and Morgantown Road with raised medians and a shared use path, install roundabouts at both intersections and replace the CSX railroad bridge.

On its most recent application two years ago, the city came up just short in scoring to receive funding. Jake Moore, grants coordinator for the city, told commissioners the shortfall was due to a category that judges “innovation.”

“They basically said, ‘take another swing, make a few tweaks,’ ” Moore told officials.

Moore said to meet the mark for innovation, a design firm that would be procured by the city would look at ways to install markings on the roadway for autonomous vehicles. However, this relies on the city receiving funding first.

The $2.3 million would cover three main planning and design areas for the project. Environmental planning would make up $200,000 of the grant, and preliminary engineering would run $900,000. The largest share of the grant would go to final engineering, at $1.2 million.

Final costs though are higher. Moore told commissioners that the whole project has a construction cost estimated at $15.5 million. Additional costs would include right-of-way acquisition, estimated at $3 million, and another $5 million for utility work.

Flooding would also be mitigated in the area through the project.

“If we were able to receive this grant award … we would have a major, major improvement to Bowling Green shovel-ready,” he said.

Four census tracts make up the area slated for the road improvements. Since the area is designated an “area of persistent poverty” and a “historically disadvantaged community,” no matching funds would be required from the city for the project.

Moore said he expects the city to hear this summer if the grant was awarded.

“We’ve come this far, we’re so close,” Moore told the Daily News. “We don’t want to give this up.”