U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced a new Reconnecting Communities pilot program to connect people to essential services and economic opportunities.
The application announcement was made June 30 in Birmingham, Ala., with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, USDOT leaders, U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and other local leaders, according to a USDOT news release. Birmingham Xpress, a rapid bus transit service, is expected to launch soon.
"Transportation can connect us to jobs, services and loved ones, but we‘ve also seen countless cases around the country where a piece of infrastructure cuts off a neighborhood or a community because of how it was built," Buttigieg said in the release. "Using funds from President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are proud to announce the launch of Reconnecting Communities: the first-ever dedicated federal initiative to unify neighborhoods living with the impacts of past infrastructure choices that divided them."
The $1 billion, first-of-its-kind program offers planning and capital construction grants, the release reported. The pilot funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are earmarked to reconnect communities cut off from economic opportunities and other destinations by previous transportation infrastructure.
DOT will continue to accept applications for the pilot program until 11:59 PM EDT Oct. 13. Meanwhile, Birmingham Xpress will work to connect 25 communities to schools, jobs and healthcare, the release reported.
"Reconnecting a community could mean adapting existing infrastructure – such as building a pedestrian walkway over or under an existing highway – to better connect neighborhoods to opportunities or better means of access such as crosswalks and redesigned intersections," the news release said.
The release also announced DOT's launch of its Thriving Communities Initiative to provide hands-on planning support and technical assistance for transformative infrastructure projects in disadvantaged communities. That initiative brings with it a new DOT Navigator for technical assistance access.
More information is available at the Reconnecting Communities page and the Reconnecting Communities grant page.
