Locally-Led California Projects Land $236M to Reconnect Communities
The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship.

In this round of funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program, California received 17 grants.
Photo: Roberto Nickson
President Biden and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $236,900,435 for the state of California for projects through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant programs as part of President Biden’s Investing in America Agenda.
The funding is aimed at reconnecting communities cut off by transportation infrastructure decades ago, leaving entire neighborhoods without direct access to opportunity, like schools, jobs, medical offices, and places of worship.
Reconnecting Communities
The Administration is taking historic action to deliver for communities left behind for too long. Thanks to additional funding from the Inflation Reduction Act, this investment is 18 times larger than the investments from the previous year’s standalone Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. Both programs are part of the President’s Justice40 Initiative.
In this round of funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity program, California received 17 grants. Some of the projects awarded include:
$750,000 for City of Montclair San Antonio Creek Trail Crossings Design in Montclair– This project includes a planning study for design crossings (over/under) for two major barriers that exist along the planned San Antonio Creek Trail: Metrolink Rail line and at the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10). The completion of the planning and design needed for pedestrian crossings at the two barriers is a critical step to providing a safer, fully continuous multi-use trail spanning the length of the city.
$139,000,000 for Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy A Multimodal Approach for Los Angeles County in Los Angeles County – The Removing Barriers and Creating Legacy A Multimodal Approach for LA County project will restore community connectivity by investing in high quality multimodal transportation options to enable affordable, reliable mobility and access to opportunity. This project will enhance and expand affordable, equitable, and safe multimodal connections through investments in 14 miles of bus priority lanes, 23 miles of bus corridor enhancements, all door boarding, bus shelters, and 60 Metro Bike Share stations.
$22,500,000 for SACOG Green Means Go: Green Zone Access and Equity Regional Planning Project in the Sacramento Area – The “Green Zone Access and Equity Regional Planning Project” will advance planning, engineering, design and project development activities to address barrier transportation facilities in 10 federally designated disadvantaged communities that are locally prioritized for infill development and share the challenge of high volume, autocentric facilities that bisect existing neighborhoods and limit both economic and transportation mobility.
$30,000,000 for The East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project: Lake Merritt to Bayfair in Alameda County – The East Bay Greenway Multimodal Project: Lake Merritt to Bayfair will construct a 10.6-mile-long complete streets facility that is parallel to and connects to five San Francisco Bay Area Rapid Transit District (BART) stations in the cities of Oakland and San Leandro. The project provides critical, new safety improvements and multimodal access enhancements in historically redlined communities of color harmed by high levels of pollution and noise from adjacent freeways, freight rail, and industrial land uses and displaced and disconnected from other communities as a result of past transportation infrastructure practices.
For more on these projects and for the full list of Reconnecting Communities Pilot and Neighborhood Access and Equity awards, click here.
Justice40 Initiative
The programs selected are part of President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative, which set the goal that 40% of the overall benefits of certain Federal investments flow to disadvantaged communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution.
The Department prioritized applications from disadvantaged communities demonstrating strong community engagement and stewardship to advance equity and environmental justice and would also catalyze shared prosperity project development and job creation.
Last year, in the inaugural round of the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, the Administration awarded grants for transformative, community-led solutions, including capping interstates with parks, filling in sunken highways to reclaim the land for housing, and converting inhospitable transportation facilities to tree-lined Complete Streets. The projects will help revitalize communities, provide access to jobs and opportunity, and reduce pollution.
Simplifying the Process
The Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has been combined with the newly-established Neighborhood Access and Equity discretionary grant program in the Inflation Reduction Act.
This joint application makes it more efficient and accessible than ever for project sponsors to apply for the historic levels of infrastructure funding made available by the Administration’s Investing in America agenda.
While Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants can come from either program, they share important key characteristics including prioritizing disadvantaged communities — including rural, Tribal, and urban communities — and improving access to daily needs and basic services.
The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program is a vital component of the Department’s commitment to equity and the Administration’s commitment to supporting communities marginalized by underinvestment and overburdened by pollution and strengthening equitable development.
More Management

Surface Transportation Extension Averts Shutdown, Leaves Transit Funding Gap
The stopgap keeps federal transportation programs moving, but missing advance funding could complicate the transit and rail projects agencies are planning next.
Read More →
Bus Tech Talk: Keeping Transit Technicians Ahead of the Technology Curve
LA Metro’s Obed Mejia discusses technician training, evolving maintenance technology, fleet replacement, and strategies for getting the most out of today’s transit fleets.
Read More →
Why Simulating Pedestrian Movement Has Become Essential for Modern Rail Stations
Pedestrian microsimulation is helping rail planners identify bottlenecks, test station designs, and prepare complex transit hubs for growing passenger volumes.
Read More →
People Movement: Holly Arnold Joins Transdev and More
In this edition, we also cover recent appointments and announcements at Pace, CamTran, MCI, and more, showcasing the individuals helping to shape the future of transportation.
Read More →
NITA Launches New Era of Regional Transit in Chicago
The new authority replaces the RTA and brings CTA, Metra, and Pace under a strengthened regional framework for funding, planning, fares, safety, and service coordination.
Read More →
How World Cup Mobility Put Transit and Motorcoaches to the Test
Behind the seamless trips were months of planning, multimodal partnerships, and lessons agencies and operators can carry into the next mega-event.
Read More →
DART Introduces Dashboard to Track Ridership Data
The initial release represents the first phase of DART’s efforts to expand access to ridership information. Additional dashboard features, data, and functionality will be introduced in future phases.
Read More →
SEPTA Breaks Ground on $44M Accessibility Upgrade at 11th Street Station
The project will add elevators and other upgrades to make the busy L station fully ADA accessible, with a yearlong closure expected to accelerate construction and save up to $3 million.
Read More →
FTA Opens $610M for Transit Fleet Modernization
Propane autogas gives transit agencies a reliable, funding-eligible option for fleet upgrades.
Read More →
NJ TRANSIT Explores Unified Real-Time Customer Communications Platform
The agency is gathering industry input on AI, real-time data, and integrated communications technology as it prepares to procure a system that delivers faster, more consistent transit updates across every customer channel.
Read More →
