VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced on Wednesday that they are funding Virginia projects with $23 million.
The release states that the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighbor Access Equity grant programs are part of Biden's Investing in America Agenda. The $23 million is part of a $3.3 billion nationwide grant meant to "deliver better infrastructure that reconnects residents to jobs, health care, and other essentials," says Buttigieg.
$1 million will be going towards The Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector in Newport News. "[The project] is the latest effort to address past injustices in Newport News and the Southeast Community by providing a strong multimodal connection point over I-664 and the CSX Railroad. According to the project sponsor, the Reconnector would help create a thriving, inclusive, resilient community that would help connect the many separate development efforts in the Downtown District and Southeast Community."
And $14.9 million will be going toward Phase 1 of the Virginia Beach Trail connector. The project consists of "3.2-miles of the Virginia Beach Trail, which includes the construction of a 10-foot-wide paved shared-use path within the former Norfolk Southern railroad right-of-way, and will promote equitable access to an active transportation network, increase pedestrian and bicycle user safety, and reconnect underserved communities with economic opportunities that have been limited by physical transportation barriers."
City leaders approved the allocation of these funds back in January. The project has been decades in the making, as local leaders voiced their support to extend the existing trail. This funding is for the beginning phase of the 12-mile paved path for pedestrians and cyclists alike.
