St. Pete to access $1B federal transportation program
July 1, 2022 - The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a Notice of Funding Opportunity on Thursday for the first-of-its-kind Reconnecting Communities pilot program established under President Joe Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. This $1 billion program will help reconnect communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities due to insufficient or ineffective transportation infrastructure, allowing St. Pete to pursue a share of the funding, the City of St. Petersburg stated in a news release. “As one of my top priorities, our Administration is working to incorporate equity into all policies to ensure growth benefits the entire community. This new available funding can serve as a catalyst for building a connected city and dismantling historic transportation barriers to success while connecting businesses to customers and employees and providing safe transportation options," St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said in the release. He plans to meet with city staff to explore how to best tap into this historic funding, which comes at a crucial and pivotal moment on the heels of the request for proposals process restarting for the Historic Gas Plant District/Tropicana Field site.