Reconnecting Communities, Biden Unveils New Funding Program

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Fresh off his State of the Union address, President Biden traveled to Wisconsin on Wednesday to announce new infrastructure investments. Milwaukee is one of 132 sites across 40 states to receive a portion of the $3.3 billion set aside for transportation renovation projects.

“Our interstate highway system laid out in the 50s was a groundbreaking connection for our nation,” Biden said at his Wednesday appearance. “But instead of connecting communities, it divided them,” he continued.

The funding is directed towards reconnecting communities that were isolated by transportation infrastructure decades ago. Loss of connections resulted in entire neighborhoods lacking direct access to essential opportunities such as schools, employment, medical facilities, and places of worship.

In a press call, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg stated that in his travels across the country, he has witnessed this exact phenomenon. “I think the very fact that American English has the phrase ‘wrong side of the tracks’ tells you everything you need to know about our awareness in this country of how infrastructure can divide just as sure as it can connect.”

Buttigieg goes on to say that highway planners built roads to intersect vibrant communities. “Sometimes to reinforce segregations, sometimes because it was the path of least resistance. Often because Black [and low-income] neighborhoods did not have the political power to resist or reshape those projects.”

This billion-dollar project is part of the current administration’s plan to advance racial equity. The approach aims to stimulate economic growth from grassroots levels rather than relying on top-down methods. It also has the goal of facilitating the transition to a clean transportation system in mind.

In addition to reimagining current highways, the Reconnecting Communities Program will invest in more bike and pedestrian-friendly infrastructure.

Highways as a Form of Division

From removing highways that serve as community barriers to retrofitting transportation facilities, the new funding is directed at underserved neighborhoods.

A prominent example of this is right here in Tulsa’s Greenwood District. Despite the horrors faced in the 1921 Race Massacre, Black Tulsans rebuilt the famous Black Wall Street. It wasn’t until a federal investment brought division that the district ultimately collapsed. In 1965 and 1968, two federal acts were enacted to expand the interstate highway system. Interstate 244 cut right through Greenwood and acted as a form of segregation.

A similar story took place in Oklahoma City. The Deep Deuce neighborhood was comparable to Greenwood. Many Black businesses and families dominated the district. American writer Ralph Ellison belonged to one of the families that called the neighborhood home. Following the decline of the railroad system and the construction of the Broadway Extension many relocated.

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Urban renewal was common among many metropolitan areas across the nation. To bring more upper and middle-class white families back from the suburbs, there were several federal investments to rebuild “slum” neighborhoods.

The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Program did not select Tulsa and Oklahoma City to receive funding. Although the list includes two different Oklahoma locations.

The Seminole Nation will receive $23.5 million for a transportation visitor center and transit plaza. Likewise, the Cherokee Nation will see a $2.5 million investment in a new road and bridge project.

Future Funding

It’s unclear if Tulsa or OKC were among the 682 applicants that were hoping to receive funding. With such a significant interest in the program, the awarding process was highly competitive. Future opportunities for federal assistance through this program will exist, but the investment amount is expected to decrease from over $3 billion to around $182 million.