Transit projects receive more than $1 billion in federal grants designed to reconnect communities

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) awarded $3.33 billion in federal funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) grant programs. The grants will support 132 transit, active transportation and access projects in more than 130 communities. 

According to USDOT, the funding will reconnect communities that were divided by transportation infrastructure decades ago, with projects designed to improve access to education, jobs, healthcare and places of worship. 

“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 USDOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud to announce an unprecedented $3.3 billion to help 132 communities deliver better infrastructure that reconnects residents to jobs, healthcare and other essentials.”

The inaugural round of grants through the RCP Program was awarded in March 2023 with $185 million supporting 45 projects. For the Fiscal Year 2023 grants, USDOT had available funds that were 18 times greater due to additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act. 

Both the RCP and NAE grants are part of the Justice40 Initiative. The initiative, which has a goal that 40 percent of federal investments for climate, clean energy, affordable and sustainable housing and other investments will benefit disadvantaged communities. USDOT explained it 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.

Project highlights

Of the $3.33 billion awarded, more than $1 billion will support projects with transit infrastructure components or transit planning. Additionally, more than $1 billion was awarded to projects that will improve access to transit service through pedestrian overpasses, improved sidewalks, bike lanes or other elements. 

The Chicago Transit Authority was awarded a $111 million grant through the NAE program for the Blue Line - Forest Park Branch – Kedzie Avenue to Pulaski Station Track Improvements project, which is part of a larger program to reconstruct the authority’s Forest Park Branch. The rail project will restore service reliability and speed, provide greater environmental resilience and enhance the overall transit experience for historically disadvantaged communities on the west side of Chicago, Ill. 

Another NAE grant project is the Bailey Avenue Corridor Improvements – Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Construction and Context-Sensitive Roadway Retrofit, which was awarded $102.7 million. The Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA) will use the funds to complete environmental reviews, design and construction of Bailey Avenue Corridor Improvements. The project will design and construct a low- or no-emission BRT line and context-sensitive roadway safety improvements along the entire length of Bailey Avenue in Buffalo, N.Y., from the terminus of the NFTA-Metro Rail system at the University at Buffalo South Campus to South Park Avenue.

The city of Evertt, Mass., was awarded a $1.2 million RCP grant for the Uniting Neighborhoods and Transit Opportunities project, which seeks to study the feasibility of installing a transit hub at Sweetser Circle and developing safe and accessible connections between Upper Broadway, Lower Broadway and Main Street in Evertt. The project would rectify the historical inequities caused by Route 16, Route 99 and Main Street traveling through Everett by developing bicycle and pedestrian facilities and understanding potential opportunities for the expansion of the Silver Line. 

A full list of the 132 projects awarded grants is available through USDOT’s website.