Atlanta, Ga. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is delivering historic Federal funding to upgrade transportation and recreation infrastructure for Georgia families.
Today, Sens. Ossoff and Reverend Raphael Warnock and Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) announced two Federal grants for The Stitch and for a new multi-use trail connecting the Atlanta BeltLine with the Flint River Trail.
The $157 million Federal investment will fund Phase 1 of The Stitch project, which aims to reconnect downtown Atlanta by capping the I-75/I-85 interstate with a new 4-acre park, implementing multimodal improvements across the street network with better connectivity to MARTA’s Civic Center station.
The $50 million Federal investment in the Southside Trail will help advance the Atlanta Regional Commission’s project to build a new multi-use trail to help connect schools, hospitals, job centers, and MARTA rail between the BeltLine and the Flint River Trail.
“We are delivering historic resources to upgrade transportation and recreation infrastructure for Georgia families,” Sen. Ossoff said. “I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Buttigieg, and Assistant Secretary Coes for their support as we lead Georgia forward, and I commend the City of Atlanta and Atlanta Regional Commission for their successful work bidding for these major awards.”
“This tremendous federal award for The Stitch is a direct result of the people of Georgia sending Jon Ossoff and I to the Senate, and it’s exactly the kind of investment I had in mind when I championed legislation last Congress to invest in reconnecting communities severed by highway construction,” said Senator Warnock. “Additionally, the significant funding for the Atlanta Beltline to Flint River Trail and other key infrastructure projects in Georgia will help strengthen communities across the Peach State by improving pedestrian mobility, traffic flow, and bolster local commerce. As a member of the Senate committee that handles transportation policy, I’m going to keep working with my fellow Georgia lawmakers to direct federal support to important infrastructure projects in our state like The Stitch and make them a reality.”
“The Stitch will reclaim a massive part of our city from infrastructure that divided the Black neighborhoods of Buttermilk Bottoms, Bedford Pines, and Sweet Auburn. And with a new connection to the BeltLine, we are increasing pathways to opportunity for communities that have historically been overlooked for federal investments. Reconnecting our communities with a focus on equity is why I passed the legislation that funded these transformational grants,” Congresswoman Nikema Williams (GA-05) said. “I will keep working with Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Regional Commission to build these visionary projects that serve everyone.”
“Today’s monumental announcement is why effective representation in Washington D.C. matters. Senators Ossoff and Warnock, alongside Congresswoman Williams have consistently delivered for the Atlanta community time and again. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we have a massive investment into our city. I also want to thank U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for always being an ally to both the Administration and Atlantans alike. These funds will catalyze the Stitch and the Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail, both long-term investments that will unite our communities and move Atlanta forward,” stated Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.
“This historic $157 million investment in the Stitch by USDOT through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program will fund the implementation of Phase 1, which includes the creation of up to five acres of new park space above the Downtown Connector, improvements to seven Downtown streets, and enhanced connectivity to the MARTA Civic Center bus and rail station. The Stitch has been a dream of the Downtown Atlanta community for 20 years. With the award of this USDOT funding authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we are now able to make this dream a reality,” said A.J. Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, and Jack Cebe, Stitch Development Manager, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. “The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) sincerely thanks Senator Jon Ossoff, Senator Raphael Warnock, and Congresswoman Nikema Williams for their advocacy and support of this grant application, and for their continued commitment to advancing the Stitch. ADID is also grateful for the dedication of its implementation partners to the Stitch and their support of this grant request. These partners include Mayor Andre Dickens and the City of Atlanta, Executive Director Anna Roach and the Atlanta Regional Commission, Commissioner Russell McMurry and the Georgia Department of Transportation, and General Manager Collie Greenwood and MARTA.”
Sen. Ossoff continues delivering resources to upgrade Georgia’s infrastructure.
Earlier this month, Sens. Ossoff and Warnock announced the State of Georgia will receive $122,457,266 in Federal resources for transit infrastructure upgrades across the state in Fiscal Year 2024, authorized by the bipartisan infrastructure law, including over $80 million for MARTA.
In January, Sen. Ossoff announced $6,120,067 through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant program to strengthen metro Atlanta’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure.
Last December, Sens. Ossoff and Reverend Warnock delivered funding through the bipartisan infrastructure law to help local governments create and execute safety action plans aimed at improving road safety and preventing deaths and injuries to drivers and pedestrians.
# # #
