States and cities received over $3 billion in grant funding aimed at redressing the damage caused by freeways.
The Biden administration announced over $3.3 billion in Reconnecting Communities grants in cities including Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Philadelphia, Portland, Oregon, Houston, Jacksonville, and other cities.
As Daniel C. Vock explains in Route Fifty, the grants will pay for freeway caps, trails, commuter rail stations, and flood management infrastructure. “All told, the Department of Transportation awarded 132 grants, including 52 for construction. The rest were to help communities with planning.”
According to Vock, “The mix of projects, though, shows the Biden administration is focusing on fine-tuning existing infrastructure, rather than funding more drastic changes that some advocates had hoped for when the programs were created. Community activists in places like New Orleans and Tulsa initially pushed to remove highways that devastated their neighborhoods, but the administration has largely avoided those kinds of proposals,” promoting freeway caps and other less drastic changes. However, some projects are tied to highway expansions, such as an underpass project in St. George, Utah.
Portland Advocates Call on Feds to Oppose Freeway Expansion
The Oregon DOT is requesting a federal grant to fund a controversial freeway expansion through the Rose Quarter.
Reconnecting Communities Grant Round Offers $600M for Highway Mitigation Projects
The program is part of the 2021 infrastructure law and calls for improving access in communities disadvantaged by freeways.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
National Parks Layoffs Will Cause Communities to Lose Billions
Thousands of essential park workers were laid off this week, just before the busy spring break season.
Retro-silient?: America’s First “Eco-burb,” The Woodlands Turns 50
A master-planned community north of Houston offers lessons on green infrastructure and resilient design, but falls short of its founder’s lofty affordability and walkability goals.
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Analysis: Cybertruck Fatality Rate Far Exceeds That of Ford Pinto
The Tesla Cybertruck was recalled seven times last year.
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