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Thu Mar 2, 2023, 08:05 AM Mar 2023

USDOT Debuts Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program

March 01, 2023 | Regulatory

USDOT Debuts Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program

Written by Marybeth Luczak, Executive Editor



Westbound NJT North Jersey Coast Line train 3231—nine MultiLevels hauled by an ALP46 electric—crosses the Navesink River Bridge. Along the line is the Long Branch Station, where a USDOT Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program award will help remove an at-grade rail crossing and construct a pedestrian tunnel. (William C. Vantuono Photograph)

The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) on Feb. 28 reported that its new Reconnecting Communities Pilot Grant Program will distribute $185 million to 45 projects; this includes six capital construction grants (with one rail-related project) and 39 planning grants (with nine rail-related projects).

Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (also known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act), the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program is providing “technical assistance and funding for communities’ planning and construction projects that aim to connect neighborhoods back together by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation barriers such as highways and railroad tracks,” according to USDOT.

This first round of grants will fund construction and planning for projects slated to “revitalize communities, provide access to jobs and reduce pollution,” such as capping interstates with parks; filling in sunken highways to reclaim the land for housing; and creating new crossings through public transportation, bridges, tunnels and trails, the Department said.

USDOT teamed with the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Housing and Urban Development to review applications; prioritized were those received from “economically disadvantaged communities, especially those focused on equity and environmental justice, and that demonstrated strong community engagement and stewardship, and would catalyze shared prosperity in its development and job creation.”

Following are the 10 rail-related projects that received awards (download the complete list below):

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