Buttigieg Joins Black Mayors on Transportation Projects Correcting Historical Wrongs with $3.3bn Biden Initiative

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined Black mayors from across the US on Friday to preview transportation projects being carried out by his department aimed at correcting historic wrongs. The initiatives, made possible through President Biden’s $3.3bn “Reconnecting Communities and Neighbourhoods” programme, address highways built decades ago that have cut off access to schools, career opportunities and medical services in communities of colour lacking political power. More than 130 grants have been awarded across 41 states as part of the scheme. In an interview with CNN, Buttigieg said: “This is about making sure federal dollars are part of the solution in communities where sometimes federal dollars have caused harm.” The investment aims to strengthen communities and create opportunities through better connectivity. Some grants involve capping highways; for example, a $16m grant will transform three highway lanes into an eight-acre linear park in New Rochelle, New York, connecting the heart of its African American community with downtown areas that are rarely found there due to “antiquated and racist urban planning policies”. Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin said he hoped a $14.5m grant would lead to thriving small businesses once again after converting a one-way street into two lanes in the city’s Black business district, while Tacoma mayor Victoria Woodards is studying “the I-5 divide” with a $1.3m grant as Interstate 5 opened in the 1960s and cut much of her city in half. Buttigieg said some projects are already underway or will take several years to complete, but all share a common theme: correcting past harms through initiatives that benefit everyone involved.