Austin receives federal funding to study transportation equity issues

Austin is set to receive $1.12 million from the federal government to evaluate transportation issues with an eye toward equitable development, environmental justice and public health. U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced the award Tuesday for a study called “Our Future 35: Connecting Austin Equitability – Mobility.” It’s part of an initiative to reconnect communities cut off from opportunity and burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions. The Biden administration has earmarked $185 million for 45 such projects nationwide. “Transportation should connect, not divide, people and communities,” Buttigieg said. “We are proud to announce the first grantees of our Reconnecting Communities Program, which will unite neighborhoods, ensure the future is better than the past, and provide Americans with better access to jobs, health care, groceries and other essentials.”