NORFOLK, Va. — The City of Norfolk is receiving a $1.6 million grant as part of a first-of-its-kind program that aims to reconnect and restore communities that were impacted by past transportation infrastructure decisions.
"Norfolk I-264 Reconnecting Communities" is one of 45 projects across the country that are receiving grant awards as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
While interstates and highways are designed to help people get where they need to be, historically many of these projects divide neighborhoods and cut communities off from social and economic opportunities. This burden is often felt the most by communities of color.
“Transportation should connect, not divide, people and communities,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a news release. “We are proud to announce the first grantees of our Reconnecting Communities Program, which will unite neighborhoods, ensure the future is better than the past, and provide Americans with better access to jobs, health care, groceries and other essentials.”
According to the Department of Transportation, the Norfolk project aims to create a solution "to the 'spaghetti bowl,' a 14-lane-wide jumble of I-264 ramps and interchanges that cuts a low-income and vast majority Black neighborhood off from the core downtown area."
The St. Paul's section of Norfolk, Elizabeth River waterfront, and Norfolk State University neighborhoods in particular all bore the brunt of impacts from this large segment of I-264.
"Upon completion, I-264's retroactive placement in downtown Norfolk cut off Black neighborhoods, public housing communities, and anchor institutions from downtown opportunities that include job centers, educational hubs, transportation resources and cultural institutions," the DOT said in a news release. "The legacy impacts of this are still felt today in the form of high unemployment, high poverty levels and low educational attainment. "
With the grant money, the City of Norfolk will look at the feasibility of various reconfigurations to find the best options to help reconnect and boost these affected communities. Traffic studies, surveys, and community engagement will all be taken into account.
In addition to the Norfolk project, Virginia is also receiving a $1.35 million grant in Richmond for a "Reconnect Jackson Ward" project.