Title
Supporting Ramsey County’s pursuit of a Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program Discretionary Grant for the Rice Street Reconstruction Project.
Body
WHEREAS, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the new Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) discretionary grant program, funded with $1 billion over the next five years; and
WHEREAS, the purpose of the RCP is to fund the reconnection of communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development; and
WHEREAS, it is the first Federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, funding supports planning grants and capital construction grants, as well as technical assistance, to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, mitigation, or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) RCP grant is to be awarded on a competitive basis to projects that will have a significant local or regional impact; and
WHEREAS, the Rice Street Reconstruction Project furthers the goals of the USDOT and the RCP grant by reducing barriers to community connectivity including to mobility, access, or economic development and addressing safety priorities; and
WHEREAS, the project proposes a full reconstruction of a two-mile segment of Rice Street, from Pennsylvania Avenue to Wheelock Parkway, that acts as a major transportation corridor and activity hub that connects residents, travelers, and visitors to a diverse intermingling of businesses, services, and institutions; and
WHEREAS, Ramsey County and the City of Saint Paul have spent the past three years facilitating a community-driven plan for Rice Street - the Rice Street Vision Plan - to address the numerous safety, acces...
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