The one-time infusion of cash for highway caps, bike trails and other improvements shows the Biden administration’s priorities for one of its most high-profile infrastructure initiatives.
The Biden administration on Wednesday unveiled the winners of more than $3.3 billion in grants for one of its signature infrastructure initiatives, an effort that aims to reduce the harm caused by the construction of highways, rail lines and other infrastructure that sliced through neighborhoods across the country.
The grants would pay for new freeway “caps” in Atlanta, Austin, Dallas, Philadelphia and Portland, Ore. The short highway covers often include amenities like parks and trails to help connect the surrounding neighborhoods. Massachusetts will use its $335 million grant to rebuild an aging highway viaduct while creating new parks, building a new bridge for cyclists and pedestrians, and opening a new commuter rail station. New York’s $180 million award will go toward making improvements to downtown Syracuse after removing a highway viaduct there. Jacksonville, Florida, will use $147 million to build 15 miles of a new off-street trail system that will connect historically Black neighborhoods to downtown and other amenities. And the Gulfton and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods in Houston, where residents have long had to contend with chronic flooding and inadequate infrastructure, will get improved sidewalks, drainage and tree cover.
ROUTE FIFTY
by DANIEL C. VOCK
MARCH 13, 2024