NATCHEZ &8212; A federal grant for the Natchez Trails Project, the last of the grant money needed for the project, was approved Tuesday.

The finished product will be a series of walking, jogging and biking trails through downtown and along the riverfront.

The $1,746,275 came through the Mississippi Department of Transportation from a federal transportation bill, City Engineer David Gardner said.

This is the last of three grants to fund the project, including roughly $217,000 from the state and $25,000 from the U.S. Congress, Gardner said. The total cost for the project will be about $2.5 million, he said.

&8220;We&8217;re very excited about getting into this phase of the project,&8221; he said.

Mayor Phillip West said he was pleased that the project was nearing reality and that he was grateful to MDOT officials who helped push through the project.

&8220;It&8217;s going to make our community even more attractive,&8221; West said. &8220;It will enhance our community and be attractive to tourists and our local community.&8221;

But even with the last grant, the coffers aren&8217;t filled yet. The newest grant requires a local 20 percent in match money, which, along with some other needs, adds up to roughly $500,000.

That&8217;s a reasonable goal, Gardner said. The Natchez Trails Project Committee, made up of local government and community leaders, has begun a fundraising campaign to get match money

&8220;We&8217;ll be talking to a lot of businesses, local and corporate, state and national organizations for funds,&8221; he said.

Along with the trails, broken downtown sidewalk will be fixed and handicap access to sidewalks will be added, Gardner said.

It will benefit the community, so they are asking for help from the community, he said.

&8220;We want the community to own the project, so we&8217;re asking for help from the community through sponsorships, businesses and individuals starting next week,&8221; he said.

Gardner said he hoped to get the bulk of the donations in about three months and to get all of the needed money in six months.

&8220;Timing-wise, it works out well,&8221; he said. &8220;It takes three to six months to get the plans and contract documents ready to go so we can receive the bids,&8221; he said. &8220;Right about the time we ask permission to advertise bids (for construction), we should have the match money.&8221;

The committee is starting to meet weekly and moving forward, Gardner said.

&8220;This is some good news,&8221; he said. &8220;We&8217;re moving into the final stages of the project.&8221;