Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato Help Secure $800,000 Reconnecting Communities Grant to Revitalize Turtle Creek Valley Corridor
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Vaibhav Vijay, Vaibhav.Vijay@mail.house.gov | (771) 215-7243
Kyla Gill, Kyla.Gill@mail.house.gov | (412) 841-7913
Rep. Summer Lee and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato Help Secure $800,000 Reconnecting Communities Grant to Revitalize Turtle Creek Valley Corridor
Turtle Creek, PA – Congresswoman Summer Lee (PA-12) and Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato announced an $800,000 Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program (RCP) planning grant awarded to the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments. This funding will support a comprehensive study of the PA State Route 130/Braddock Avenue corridor and adjacent rail corridors spanning Braddock, North Braddock, East Pittsburgh, Turtle Creek, and Wilmerding. The study aims to develop innovative transportation alternatives and policies to improve multi-modal accessibility, equitable development, and economic vitality in historically underserved communities.
“Today’s announcement is a major win for our communities in Turtle Creek Valley,” said Congresswoman Summer Lee. “For too long, Black, brown, working-class, and poor folks in these neighborhoods have been left behind by infrastructure systems that divide rather than connect. With this $800,000 planning grant, we are building a foundation to reconnect our region, drive economic growth, and ensure every family has access to affordable transportation, good-paying jobs, housing, and educational opportunities.”
County Executive Innamorato said: “I’m delighted that our Turtle Creek Valley communities have won this grant which will help planning for a better transportation and economic development future in the Mon Valley. This application for the Reconnecting Communities Grant was a priority for my administration, as is any investment in the Mon Valley that can help this critical part of our County thrive. I’m so pleased that we were able to work with the local communities and Rep. Lee’s office to successfully advocate for these funds.”
The study will focus on revitalizing the Turtle Creek Valley corridor by addressing transportation barriers, reforming outdated zoning and land-use policies, and supporting the growth of community services. This includes creating safer and more affordable transportation options, expanding access to affordable housing, and fostering vibrant commercial and educational hubs.
This grant is part of the Biden Administration’s broader Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program, the first federal initiative dedicated to repairing harm caused by transportation infrastructure that has historically divided communities–particularly Black communities and other communities of color. It builds on the $1.4 million Reconnecting Communities grant Rep. Lee helped secure last year to reconnect Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhoods and a $2 million investment earlier this year to connect the East Liberty Business District with Bakery Square.
“Through programs like the Reconnecting Communities Pilot, we’re finally addressing decades of neglect and systemic inequities created by harmful infrastructure policies,” Lee added. “I will continue working to ensure Western Pennsylvania receives the federal investments we need to build a future where no community is left behind.”
This RCP grant will allow the Turtle Creek Valley Council of Governments, the Steel Rivers Council of Governments, and their many local partners to build off of extensive planning that has already been done to begin a data-and-community driven exploration of how both PA SR130/Braddock Avenue and Norfolk Southern/Union Railroad corridors in the Mon Valley could better serve the people that surround it, both today and in the future. This project will help address the infrastructure choices of the past and will make sure that future investments connect people to one another and to opportunity.
Background
This $800,000 planning grant is the third Reconnecting Communities grant secured by Rep. Lee for PA-12–including $1.4 million to Reconnect Northside communities for the City of Pittsburgh and the Manchester Citizens Corporation in February of 2023 and $2 million to Allegheny County Industrial Development Authority’s Penn Avenue Cap Connector Project to link the East Liberty Business District with Bakery Square
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act established the Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, or mitigation of transportation infrastructure that has historically divided communities. These grants provide critical funding for planning and construction projects to improve equitable access to resources and opportunities for underserved neighborhoods.
Since joining Congress, Lee has worked tirelessly to ensure Western Pennsylvania benefits from these transformational programs. This grant continues her fight to deliver equitable infrastructure solutions and economic opportunity for all.