DALLAS — U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg will visit North Texas on April 4 to celebrate a multi-billion dollar project that's meant to help historically disadvantaged communities.
Last month, the Biden Adminstration dedicated $80-million to North Texas through through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhood Grant Program. The funding is a component of President Biden’s Investing in America intiative, with a goal of reconnecting communities that were previously cut off by transportation infrastructure.
"North Texas highways in many cases were used to intentionally cut off access to daily needs. This project will address these historic inequities," transportation officials said in the project fact sheet.
Some of the divisions left neighborhoods without direct access to essential resources such as schools, employment opportunities, medical facilities and places of worship, officials say.
North Texas' cut of the money is for Bridging Highway Divides for DFW Communities. The project will build pedestrian "caps" for four highways in the area and will be rolled out in phases.
According to the project's fact sheet, the first phase is Interstate Highway 30, which will install support structures for three pedestrian caps/parks to be constructed across the interstate.
"This infrastructure will align with the timing of TxDOT’s reconstruction of IH 30 and it is critical that the base structures be constructed now into the roadway project to avoid the inefficiency of taxpayers paying twice to retrofit later," the project fact sheet reads.
The second phase involves Klyde Warren Park -- extending an existing pedestrian cap/deck park further south to create additional access, connections, and to complete the community vision.
The next project, Southern Gateway Park - Phase 2.0, will complete an initial pedestrian crossing to complete the plaza and connect two roadways to provide complete connections.
The last project, State Highway 5 in McKinney, will be an inverted pedestrian cap that includes the construction of a bridge within the corridor. This will provide pedestrian access in the form of a below-bridge pedestrian plaza.
Secretary Buttigieg will be joined by Congressman Marc Veasey, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and community leaders to celebrate how the project will unite communities and create new opportunities and transportation options across the Dallas Fort-Worth area.