Local, minority-owned firm selected as lead consultant for new urban trail project

When 17-year-old Bolaji Kukoyi migrated to Birmingham from Lagos, Nigeria, failure was not an option, he said. With a one-way ticket to travel nearly 6,000 miles from home, he had to find success among a city he had never known.

"I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I just knew I wanted to be a part of something big and bigger than myself."

He attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, studied mathematics and civil engineering. "I took it one day at a time," he said. "Doors opened. Doors closed."

Today, 27 years later, not only has Kukoyi found success, but he will play a major role in the future development of Birmingham. He is the president of Dynamic Civil Solutions, a community-focused engineering firm that was recently selected to be the lead consultant on a transformative new urban trail in the city of Birmingham.

The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded $21.7 million to the City of Birmingham to develop a comprehensive trail system that serves not only as a modern improvement for Birmingham, but also as a living tribute to the rich history of civil rights struggle and progress within Birmingham's historic communities. The Birmingham Civil Rights Crossroads project will create a 3.16-mile urban trail that follows along the landscape of what was a pivotal battleground for America's Civil Rights Movement. It will connect Smithfield and Graymont, some of Birmingham's poorest and most underserved neighborhoods, to everyday necessities and downtown by creating streets that are livable, fun, and safe for all people-regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said. "This is not just a trail project. It has to do with the storytelling of where Birmingham has been and what Birmingham is capable of being; all while uniting people along the trail. This will reunite the communities that have been divided by all the infrastructure and create equal access to everything and be welcoming for all."

This corridor will celebrate, honor, and revitalize Smithfield, the west side of Birmingham, and the Civil Rights District. It will be the spine of a growing multimodal transportation network that unifies many neighborhoods of western Birmingham to downtown and will be a main connector to the Red Rock Trail System, Birmingham's regional urban trail system.

"The competition was fierce," said Christina Argo, deputy director for the Department of Transportation, but Kukoyi's team of experts was undeniable.

As a minority business owner, Kukoyi was thrilled to be selected. This is his first time being the lead on a project of this magnitude. "Kudos to Birmingham. Kudos to the city," he said. "I am hoping this is the first of many, not just for DCS but for other minority businesses."

"I hope that this is a catalyst that spurs revitalization and says to the world, 'Come to Birmingham,'" Argo said.

"Our role is to help Birmingham realize their vision," Kukoyi said, noting that it will begin with lots of community input. "We want to engage the community and hear people out. We want to hear their stories and let those stories dictate our design."

The design process should take up to 18 months. Beginning in January 2025, the public will be invited to share their input in this process. Overall, the project should be complete some time in 2028. For more information, go to www.birminghamal.gov/transporation/raise.

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