On Thursday, the US Department of Transportation announced a $ 1 billion plan to reconnect the US community, which is isolated from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure.
In one release, Secretary of Transportation Pete Butigeg stated that there are countless cases across the country where infrastructure such as highways and railroad tracks block neighborhoods and communities due to the way they are built.
Such structures often isolate and push the limits of low-income communities by making it more difficult to reach work, school, or health care.
Butigeg said the community reconnection pilot program is easy, such as pedestrian walkways above or below existing highways, or better access such as pedestrian crossings and redesigned intersections. He said that a good solution could improve this situation.
As an example of a project funded by the program, Butigeg will announce a new high-speed transportation bus service in Birmingham, Alabama late Thursday. According to the release of DOT, the Birmingham Xpress project will connect 25 communities of Alabama citizens to work, school and health care.
According to the DOT, Reconnecting Communities are currently accepting grant applications from state, local government, tribal governments, metropolitan planning and nonprofits, and other transportation owners. The
department said that applications from economically disadvantaged communities would be prioritized. The
pilot program is funded by a bipartisan infrastructure law approved by Congress last year.
Some information in this report was provided by The Associated Press and Reuters.
