Council Member Wonsley States Support for a Reconnecting Communities Grant Application

Contact City Leaders to Ask for Their Support

On June 30, the United States Department of Transportation opened the application period for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program. This program provides federal funding to help communities repair the harms of past transportation infrastructure. These funds are a critically important opportunity to further study the Twin Cities Boulevard and access resources to evaluate what a highway-to-boulevard conversion could look like on the Rethinking I-94 corridor.

In order for that to happen, the Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul must apply before the deadline on October 13, 2022. We are asking Mayor Frey, Mayor Carter and City Council Members in both cities to make a public commitment to applying for a Reconnecting Communities grant to study the Twin Cities Boulevard.

On Monday July 11, Minneapolis Ward 2 Council Member Robin Wonsley shared her support for the Twin Cities Boulevard movement and a Reconnecting Communities grant application, saying “I enthusiastically support the Twin Cities Boulevard initiative to raise the highway trench into a multimodal street level boulevard & heal some of the environmental, social, and social harms of highway construction.”

As 1 of 2 CMs on the Rethinking 94 Policy Advisory Committee, I enthusiastically support the Twin Cities Boulevard initiative to raise the highway trench into a multimodal street level boulevard & heal some of the environmental, social, and racial harms of highway construction.

— Robin Wonsley – Minneapolis Ward 2 (@MplsWard2) July 11, 2022

and to develop new models for holistically evaluating the impacts of transportation projects, including the impacts on air pollution, climate, transportation access, mode shift, economic opportunity and racial equity.

— Robin Wonsley – Minneapolis Ward 2 (@MplsWard2) July 11, 2022

We appreciate Council Member Wonsley’s strong leadership on this issue and thank her for listening to the hundreds of community members who have reached out in support.

Unfortunately Council Member Wonsley is the only City Council Member who has made a public commitment to supporting a grant application to date. Take action by sending an email and calling City leaders using the phone numbers below.