The U.S. Dept.of Transportation has awarded $185 million in grants to 45 projects that aim to undo the harm done to neighborhoods years ago by highways and other types of infrastructure that cut residents off from jobs, schools, food stores and health care facilities. The DOT awards, formally announced on Feb. 28, represent the first installment of the $1-billion Reconnecting Communities program launched in the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
“Transportation should connect, not divide, people and communities,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.