ReConnect Rondo receives $2 million federal grant for land bridge project
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- A project to reconnect the Rondo neighborhood in St. Paul has received a $2 million federal grant.
Rondo was a thriving Black enclave full of homes and Black-owned businesses. It was destroyed in the 1950s and 1960s to make way for the construction of Interstate 94 which displaced 61% of residents.
The ReConnect Rondo project has been working to create a land bridge over Interstate 94, covering five blocks from Chatsworth Street to Grotto Street.
The federal grant is part of Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program in the bipartisan infrastructure law, which aims to reconnect communities that were cut off due to past transportation and infrastructure decisions. The ReConnect Rondo project is one of 45 initiatives nationwide that received $185 million in grants.
"Rebuilding the Rondo community benefits all of us, and a land bridge brings exciting possibilities to the table," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said.
Reviving the Rondo neighborhood has long been a priority for Carter, whose family lost a half-dozen buildings during the construction of the highway.
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The $2 million is matched by $500,000 previously committed to by St. Paul and the state legislature in 2021. The funds will be used for an environmental impact analysis, neighborhood traffic analysis and modeling, and community engagement.