Departement of Transportation Makes Over $600 Million Available For Projects That Reconnect Communities
Grants
This year, communities that are interested in the program but not yet ready to submit an application for funding can request free technical assistance through DOT’s Reconnecting Communities Institute to explore project feasibility in their communities.
Last year, the Reconnecting Communities Pilot was combined with the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) program, joining two initiatives to help revitalize and reconnect communities cut off from opportunity by past transportation infrastructure decisions, with a combined $3.3 billion in funding that supported projects in 130 communities. To date, 176 communities have benefited from RCP and NAE funding.
Even with last year’s one-time infusion of funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, the program was oversubscribed and highly competitive.
Reconnecting projects awarded funding earlier this year include:
- The Reconnecting Atlanta’s Southside Communities: Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail Project in Atlanta, Georgia will construct a multi-use trail to connect schools, hospitals, job centers, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail stations, the BeltLine, and employment centers that were cut off by the construction of major interstates around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. In the small railroad towns surrounding the airport, I-85, I-285, and GA-166 sliced the fabric of residential neighborhoods. This project is a regional collaboration crossing multiple jurisdictions and will link disadvantaged communities in an area long passed over for federal transportation investments.
- The Reconnecting 4th Ave N: A Two-Way Vision for Reviving Legacy and Inspiring Progress Project in Birmingham, Alabama was awarded a grant for a 15-block Complete Streets redesign of Birmingham’s Black Main Street. The redesign will include converting the road from one-way to two-way and will help reconnect downtown neighborhoods and businesses divided by the construction of Interstate 65 in the 1960s. The project encompasses the Historic 4th Avenue Business District, a once thriving hub of Black businesses and community in Birmingham. This multimodal project will help to revive the access and connectivity that helped the community thrive prior to its conversion into a one-way street during the 1970s.
- The I-5 Rose Quarter Improvement Project in Portland, Oregon will construct a highway cover that will support new community space and future development while reconnecting Lower Albina to local streets over Interstate 5 (I-5). Building the highway cover is an essential first step to actualizing the community’s vision and improving the transportation network. The project will connect the heart of the city’s historic Black neighborhood, Lower Albina, to neighborhoods and key destinations across I-5, a major grade separated facility that divided the neighborhood and displaced hundreds of residents when it was constructed.
- The I-81 Viaduct Project in Syracuse, New York will remove parts of I-81 to transform the surrounding neighborhood into a complete streets network, increase connections to downtown Syracuse, improve traffic flow, increase safety for cyclists and pedestrians, and spur additional investment in the neighborhood. The highway, which was built in the 1950s and 1960s, serves as a major commuter route, providing access to jobs, businesses, and services downtown, but portions of it divided communities, cutting them off from opportunity. The project supports the planning, design, and construction of the new Canal District, will reconnect streets, and construct two new parks.
The RCP program is covered under Justice40 Initiative, which sets the goal that 40 percent of the overall benefits of certain federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities that are marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution. Read more about the Department’s commitment to Justice40 here.
The deadline for applications is 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, September 30, 2024. Applicants may find the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program NOFO, Frequently Asked Questions, and other helpful resources HERE.