CHARLOTTE -- The City of Charlotte is moving forward with securing funding for a pedestrian bridge that would be built over Independence Boulevard.

The council unanimously voted to submit a 2017 Tiger Grant Agreement application for a ‘Cross Charlotte Trail Pedestrian Bridge’ over Independence, or U.S. 74.

TIGER (stands for Transportation Investments Generating Economic Recovery) discretionary grants are funded by the USDOT for transportation infrastructure projects.

The project would in total cost $16.7 million, consisting of a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over Independence/74 and the Interstate 277 beltway interchange.

This bridge would connect the Cross Charlotte Trail (known to most as the Little Sugar Creek Greenway) to 7th and 10th Streets, which the city says would “complete a significant gap in the greenway system."

It would result in a 30-mile trail, stretching from Pineville, across Center City and UNC Charlotte, to the Mecklenburg/Cabarrus County line.

The minimum grant awarded could be $5 million and the maximum is $25 million. A total of $500 million in grants is up for grabs.