WASHINGTON– President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $12,055,800 for the state of Missouri for projects through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant programs as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda. The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship.
The Biden-Harris Administration is taking historic action to deliver for communities that have been left behind for too long. Thanks to additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, this investment is 18 times larger than the investments from the previous year’s standalone Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. Both programs are part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative.
“While the purpose of transportation is to connect, in too many communities past infrastructure decisions have served instead to divide. Now the Biden-Harris administration is acting to fix that,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today we are proud to announce an unprecedented $3.3 billion to help 132 communities deliver better infrastructure that reconnects residents to jobs, health care, and other essentials.”
The Department has created a virtual story that spotlights communities’ stories, the historic context for the program, and the future it seeks through funding the reconnection of communities here.
In this round of funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program, Missouri received two grants. Awarded projects include:
$9,925,000 for Brickline Greenway: Midtown I-64 Crossing in St. Louis – The project received funding to reconnect St. Louis neighborhoods through a network of shared, accessible pathways designed for pedestrians, bikes, and wheelchairs. The area surrounding the proposed crossing was severely impacted by displacement when Mill Creek Valley, a historically Black neighborhood, was demolished to allow construction of the interstate that is now I-64. The interstate remains a significant barrier, impeding access to new jobs, housing, services, healthcare, and public transit. When complete, the Brickline Greenway will include up to 20 miles of accessible multi-use greenways; current planning and construction focuses on 10 miles of greenways that meet at the interstate barrier that this project will remediate.
$2,130,800 for Reconnecting & Revitalizing an Underserved Community: I-70 Business Loop Corridor Study in Columbia – This project received funding to study the I-70 Business Loop corridor between Stadium Boulevard and Eastland Circle and find ways to improve safety for both motorized and non-motorized users and accessible multi-modal operations, provide aesthetics along the corridor, and improve economic vitality. The I-70 Business Loop (formerly US Highway 40) was once a vibrant commercial corridor in Columbia, Missouri. After the construction of Interstate 70 in the 1960s, the street was transformed into a five-lane bypass road to the interstate and became a barrier to residents still seeking a place to stop and gather. The improvements strive to reinvigorate the corridor, connect a number of historically disadvantaged and underserved communities, and support a growing network of community services, education opportunities, and commercial centers along the corridor.
These programs are part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set 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. The Department prioritized applications from disadvantaged communities that demonstrated strong community engagement and stewardship to advance equity and environmental justice, and would catalyze shared prosperity project development and job creation.
Last year, in the inaugural round of the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, the Biden-Harris administration awarded grants for transformative, community-led solutions, including capping interstates with parks, filling in sunken highways to reclaim the land for housing, and converting inhospitable transportation facilities to tree-lined Complete Streets. These projects will help revitalize communities, provide access to jobs and opportunity, and reduce pollution.
The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been combined with the newly-established Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant program in the Inflation Reduction Act.
This joint application makes it more efficient and accessible than ever for project sponsors to apply for the historic levels of infrastructure funding made available by the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda. While Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants can come from either program, they share important key characteristics including prioritizing disadvantaged communities — including rural, Tribal and urban communities — and improving access to daily needs and basic services.
The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program is an important component of the Department’s commitment to equity and the Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to supporting communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution, and strengthening equitable development. Restoring communities like those awarded grants today helps give everyone an equal chance to get ahead and opportunity to accessing jobs and essential services such as healthcare services, grocery stores, and places of worship.