Feds making $1B available to reconnect communities where highways left their mark
The Biden administration is launching a $1 billion pilot project funded by last year's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help reconnect communities where highway projects of the past displaced neighborhoods in many U.S. cities.
States, local governments and other organizations will be able to apply for grants through the Reconnecting Communities pilot program, which will make $195 million available this year. The money could fund planning or construction for everything from historical studies and good quality public transportation to parks and pedestrian walkways over or under highways, according to U.S. Department of Transportation officials.
Many predominantly Black and immigrant communities were uprooted for urban highways beginning in the middle of the last century. Major road projects across the country altered city landscapes, helped divide communities and accelerated suburbanization.
In Detroit, I-375 is often highlighted as a prime example of the process, which, along with urban renewal, led to the destruction of areas like Black Bottom and Paradise Valley. The federal government gave the state the green light in March to move forward with its proposal to replace the interstate with a boulevard.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters in a call this week that the grant program aims to improve life in areas that were damaged by that process. He noted that residents today understand the impact of the physical infrastructure, but addressing that can be a challenge.
“Unlike a lot of other policy mistakes or problems from the past, this is something that can’t be as easily reversed because often you have a piece of physical infrastructure that by design lasts for decades or even a century that is serving to divide when the whole point of transportation is to connect,“ said Buttigieg, who has been both praised and criticized for past comments describing how racism was built into some U.S. highways.
More: I-375 construction decimated Detroit's Black communities. Now activists want repayment.
More: I-375 replacement project in Detroit moves closer to reality, gets OK from feds
More: MDOT director: Equity, inclusion need to be part of transportation planning
Buttigieg, in the call, appeared to be addressing the critics while advocating for the program.
“This is a forward-looking vision. Our focus isn’t about assigning blame. It isn’t about getting caught up in guilt or regret. It is about fixing a problem, and it’s about mending what has been broken, especially when the damage was done through taxpayer dollars,“ said Buttigieg, who was set to make the announcement about the program Thursday with other officials in Birmingham, Alabama. A news release noted that the city is preparing to launch a new bus rapid transit service called Birmingham Xpress.
Information on the Reconnecting Communities program is available at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/reconnecting-communities. Applications are due Oct. 13.
"Preference will be given to applications from economically disadvantaged communities, especially those with projects that are focused on equity and environmental justice, have strong community engagement and stewardship, and a commitment to shared prosperity and equitable development," the news release said.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter: @_ericdlawrence. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Biden administration to spend $1B reconnecting communities
