Source: United States Senator for New York Kirsten Gillibrand
November 19, 2021
Today, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $28,960,000 in federal funding for transportation infrastructure projects in Brooklyn, the Bronx and New Rochelle. The funding was awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) Grant program and will be used for projects that modernize public transit and highway systems in New York City and Westchester with a focus on addressing health and economic inequities, safety concerns and environmental impact.
“From reconnecting communities in New Rochelle and the Bronx that have been divided by highways to making critical safety and accessibility upgrades at the Broadway Junction subway station these projects will advance equity and accessibility for all New Yorkers,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “In tandem with recently secured wins from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, that I helped negotiate, these projects will drive the local economy forward, create opportunities for good paying jobs, and increase access to critical services. As Majority Leader, I’m proud that Secretary Buttigieg has heeded my calls to fund these important investments for the Empire State.”
“This is an important investment in equity in our cities and transportation systems,” said Senator Gillibrand. “These RAISE awards will help ensure that public transit is accessible to people with disabilities, make cities friendlier to pedestrians and cyclists and rethink past infrastructure projects that disproportionately harmed minority communities. I’ll keep fighting for infrastructure initiatives that revitalize our communities and create opportunity for all.”
“We are grateful to Senator Gillibrand and the entire New York State delegation for securing the federal funding that will support this critical project,” said MTA Construction and Development President Jamie Torres-Springer. “These ADA improvements are another step in the right direction towards the MTA’s goal of an accessible and inclusive transit system.”
“This planning study is the first step to addressing a historic wrong that tore the South Bronx in two,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman. “Alongside our State and Federal partners, we are excited to begin the community-based process that will underpin this study. Not only will we look at how to reconnect these communities, but we will do so with the goal of creating badly needed open space, providing better bike and pedestrian access between neighborhoods, and reducing the harmful health impacts of diesel trucks. The people of New York owe so much to Senators Schumer and Gillibrand, as well as our entire Congressional delegation for their tireless support of this essential project.”
“We are tremendously grateful to receive this $12 million federal RAISE grant, which will enable us to accomplish one of the most significant and transformative initiatives in our City’s history- the LINC,” said New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson. “The LINC will repurpose a portion of Memorial Highway into a linear park, bind together the Lincoln Avenue neighborhood with New Rochelle’s burgeoning downtown, and enable better, safer access to transit and employment, while also creating an expansive new open space and recreational amenity for tens of thousands of residents. Combining our federal award with State dollars already allocated to the LINC through the DRI (Downtown Revitalization Initiative), the City is now in a position to fully implement this exciting vision.”
Earlier this year, Senator Gillibrand wrote to the U.S. Department of Transportation in support of the City of New Rochelle’s application for RAISE funding to construct the “LINC,” an infrastructure project that would convert an outdated and hazardous highway into a public open space and mitigate safety and connectivity issues that have depressed economic growth in a densely-populated, predominantly BIPOC neighborhood.
A full list of funding recipients can be found below:
|
Recipient |
Amount |
County |
Purpose |
|
NY Metropolitan Transportation Authority |
$15,000,000 |
Brooklyn |
Make the Broadway Junction Station Complex in East New York, Brooklyn fully ADA accessible |
|
New York City Department of Transportation |
$2,000,000 |
Bronx |
Redress the negative impacts, including health inequities, safety concerns, and environmental impacts, of the Cross Bronx Expressway on the surrounding Bronx communities and identify strategies to improve safety and expand open space along the corridor |
|
City of New Rochelle |
$11,960,000 |
Westchester |
Replace the current two-way Memorial Highway with a one-way couple, convert Memorial Highway from a high-speed highway to a city street and construct a linear park and bike paths |
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