After construction projects split communities 70 years ago, new funding aims to reconnect

New federal funding aims to reconnect Indiana communities that were cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago.

The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program is providing a total of $3.3 billion to 132 communities – with $368,000 going to communities in Indiana. The measure is aimed to provide more direct access to job, education and other opportunities to these communities through infrastructure.

This round of funding will go toward redesigning a 7 and-a-half mile stretch of State Road 9 and the Scatterfield Road corridor in Anderson. In a press release, the Biden administration said they aim to restore Hispanic and Black communities south of Interstate 20, which were displaced during construction in the 1950s and 1960s.

Join the conversation and sign up for the Indiana Two-Way. Text "Indiana" to 765-275-1120. Your comments and questions in response to our weekly text help us find the answers you need on statewide issues.

The Madison County Council of Governments will lead the design approach for future reconstruction. The council will hear public input and participate in various analyses and comparisons in facilitating this project.

In the press release, the administration said the project is intended to “give access to greenspace, health care and grocery stores while giving these communities safe and affordable alternatives to passenger vehicle use.”

This grant is part of President Joe Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which aims to have 40 percent of certain federal investments go to communities that have been underinvested in and burdened by pollution.

Violet is our daily news reporter. Contact her at vcomberwilen@wfyi.org or follow her on Twitter at @ComberWilen.

Copyright 2024 IPB News. To see more, visit IPB News.