Reconnecting Communities Program

Created in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, funds for the FY 2022 RCP Program are to be awarded on a competitive basis for projects that reconnect communities by removing, retrofitting, or mitigating highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity, including to mobility, access, or economic development.  The variety of transformative solutions to knit communities back together can include:  high-quality public transportation, infrastructure removal, pedestrian walkways and overpasses, capping over highways, linear parks and trail connectors, roadway redesigns and complete streets conversions, and main street revitalization. 

Up to $195 million is available to for competitive grants through the RCP Program in FY 2022 ($50 million is dedicated to planning grants and $145 million is dedicated to capital construction grants).  The RCP Program grant applications are due on October 13, 2022.  Grant applications must be submitted through grants.gov.  Award winners are expected to be announced in early 2023.  Eligible applicants for RCP planning grants are states, Metropolitan Planning Organizations, Federally recognized Tribal Governments, units of local government, and nonprofit organizations.  Eligible applicants for RCP capital construction grants are owners of the transportation facility.  Facility owners may submit joint applications with those entities eligible for planning grants.  The RCP Program welcomes applications from diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities regardless of size, location, and experience administering Federal funding awards.  Preference will be given to applications serving economically disadvantaged communities, especially those that address equity and environmental justice, have strong community engagement and stewardship, and a commitment to shared prosperity and local workforce development. 

The new DOT Navigator can be accessed here and information on the Thriving Communities program can be found here