The funding will not become official until also passed by the Senate and signed into law by the president. Still, the news is exciting, said City Engineer David Gardner, project director. &8220;I&8217;m very excited about this. If this happens, it will ensure that we can do the project.&8221; The Natchez Trails Project began from an idea presented in 2004 to the Community Alliance. It includes downtown sidewalk walking tour trails as well as walking, jogging and biking trails along the riverfront. The project will have an impact on economic development and tourism, Gardner said. U.S. Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., said the funds appropriated Wednesday also include $500,000 for improvements at the Jackson airport. &8220;Transportation infrastructure &8212; be it for shipping, commercial, personal commuting or tourism &8212; remains a critical component of Mississippi&8217;s economic development plan,&8221; said Chickering. &8220;These federal funds will contribute to projects around the country, but for Mississippi, this includes Natchez Trails and the Jackson International Airport.&8221; The Natchez and Jackson projects were funded through the Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, the District of Columbia and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act for 2007. The Natchez Trails Project, in addition to the walkways, also includes wayside exhibits and kiosks throughout the downtown area to provide illustrated historical and other information. Riverfront trails, a total of 2.75 miles, will be in three tiers, from the top of the bluff to mid bluff to the river walk. Gardner said the $650,000 is the amount requested for the project, with $500,000 to go toward a match for another federal grant of $1.5 million from another transportation fund known as TEA-21. That grant request deadlines at the end of July. The other $150,000 is earmarked for architectural and engineering fees associated with design and construction. Other grants received for the project include $200,000 from the FY 2006 Transportation, Community and Systems Preservation Program Grant administered through the Mississippi Department of Transportation; and $25,000 from the Mississippi Delta Initiatives. Both of those grants will go toward exhibits. In addition, many individuals and businesses have contributed toward the project. Those contributions are crucial to he project&8217;s success, Gardner said. &8220;And if we get the $650,000 and we don&8217;t need those individual donations for matching money, we can use that money directly on the project, not only for the benches but for other things we need to dress up the trails,&8221; he said. The Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce organized the Community Alliance as a way to counter the negative impact of losing industries in Natchez, such as the July 2003 closing of International Paper&8217;s Natchez mill.