STARKVILLE (AP) — Mississippi State University is getting $7 million to add sidewalks, bike lanes, street lighting and to improve traffic signals on a two-mile stretch of road on the eastern edge of campus.

University President Mark Keenum says in a news release that the project is important both to ease traffic problems and to help the campus grow.

U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran says it will help ease congestion for Starkville residents and provide a safer, more accessible route for students, faculty, and visitors.

He says the U.S. Department of Transportation approved the grant under the Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery program. It’s a competitive program aimed at projects that are expected to have a significant economic impact.