Warner, Kaine, Scott Announce $1 Million in Federal Funding to Better Connect Newport News Community
The funding will be used to reconnect Southeast Newport News with the Downtown districts
WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine (both D-VA) and Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA-03) announced $1,000,000 for the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector project in Newport News, VA. The funding, courtesy of the Inflation Reduction Act's Neighborhood Access and Equity Program, will support the designing and planning of the Southeast Community Greenway Reconnector. Decades ago, the Southeast Newport News Community was almost completely cutoff from downtown due to the construction of Interstate 664. The interstate created a physical barrier separating the majority-minority Southeast Community from the economic opportunities of the downtown district.
This funding will be used to reconnect the Southeast Community and Downtown neighborhoods by revamping the 28th Street Bridge to ensure a safe and convenient connection between these two neighborhoods.
“Decades ago, the construction and expansion of Interstate 664 all but cut off Southeast Newport News from the downtown area, isolating the community from resources and economic opportunities,” the lawmakers said. “We’re glad to secure this funding that will rectify past infrastructure wrongs and help bring communities together.”
Last year, Sen. Warner and Sen. Kaine wrote to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg in support of this project. Sens. Warner and Kaine have also secured funding for projects across Virginia to reconnect communities through the bipartisan infrastructure law.
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