Pollack: "Pittsburgh’s New Pathways to Equity project is a great example of federal investment"

Click on the link to see the original article.

Acting Federal Highway Administrator Stephanie Pollack announced the awarding of a $11.3 million grant by the Biden-Harris administration to the city of Pittsburgh.

The grant, funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by President Joe Biden in August, will be used to revitalize the Hill District neighborhood by improving pedestrian infrastructure and making other enhancements to connect low-income residents to transit hubs and employment opportunities, according to an Aug. 25 news release. Other improvements include new electric vehicle charging stations and upgrades to storm water infrastructure, which will strengthen environmental sustainability.

“The city of Pittsburgh’s New Pathways to Equity project is a great example of federal investment from the Biden-Harris administration’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law supporting the best locally developed and community focused ideas,” Pollack said in the release. “The project is prioritizing the right construction improvements in a community that has historically suffered disconnection from the business district of Pittsburgh because of disinvestment and inadequate transportation choices.”

“In order for the Hill to rise and reclaim its former vibrancy as the center for Black cultural and economic life in our city, we must address the decisions from the past in order to correct the harm,” Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey said, according to the release. “This grant is not just an investment into essential infrastructure. It is an investment into a New Pathway to Equity and an investment in correcting those long standing harms.”

U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also awarded the city of Philadelphia $25 million to make improvements along five collective miles of seven high-crash corridors, the release reported. In total, Pennsylvania received more than $36 million in grants to support the transportation infrastructure of two major cities.

“We are proud to support so many outstanding infrastructure projects in communities large and small, modernizing America’s transportation systems to make them safer, more affordable, more accessible and more sustainable," Buttigieg said in the release. "Using funds from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this year we are supporting more projects than ever before.”