Department of Transportation: Investing in America: The Chinatown Stitch

Since its inception in the 1960s, the Vine Street Expressway has represented a threat to the Chinatown community, despite years of protest. Upon completion in the 1990s, the highway effectively separated the neighborhood with 13 lanes of traffic, dividing the community. With over 100,000 vehicles a day passing through a mixed-use neighborhood, the expressway causes daily threats ranging from pedestrian and road safety to air and noise pollution, among others. The Department of Transportation awarded $159 million through the Reconnecting Neighborhoods and Communities (RCN) Grant program to cap over the Vine Street Expressway with greenspace and implement other improvements to address historic inequities, reconnect the Chinatown community, and improve quality of life. The solution was advanced and supported by the local community. The investment is part of $3.3 billion in grant awards for 132 projects in over 40 states through the RCN program and is aimed at reconnecting communities that were cut off or harmed by transportation infrastructure decades ago.