Worcester — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the City of Worcester, and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission (CMRPC) today announced that they have applied to the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) federal grant program for funding for the Reconnecting Vernon Hill planning study. The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program funds projects that remove, retrofit, or mitigate highways or other transportation facilities that create barriers to community connectivity to improve mobility, access to daily needs, and economic development. These program goals closely align with those of the study, which are to improve mobility, connectivity, health, and community wellbeing in the Vernon Hill community in Worcester. 

"We are pleased to collaborate with the City of Worcester and the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission on applying for this funding,” said MassDOT Acting Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt. “We see this as an excellent opportunity to plan for improved mobility and safety in Vernon Hill, while incorporating community input to restore connections between Worcester’s neighborhoods.” 

“This grant presents an opportunity for the City and our agency partners to work with the community to develop a plan to reduce negative impacts and reestablish connections between the Vernon Hill and the Canal District and Green Island neighborhoods,” said Worcester City Manager Eric D. Batista. “As part of our Mobility Action Plan, Worcester continues to engage in community-led review of our streets and neighborhoods to enhance the safety, sustainability and equity of the city's transportation network. We look forward to working with our agency partners to plan and develop improved mobility and safety across the city.”

The Vernon Street Bridge, an overpass above I-290 and one of the few remaining connections between the Vernon, Grafton, and Union Hill neighborhoods and downtown Worcester, presents numerous safety issues for motorists, pedestrians, and bicyclists. This partnership study will not only address existing deficiencies on the bridge, but also engage community members to craft a vision and explore ways to strengthen connections in the area. The study will look beyond the physical footprint of the bridge and incorporate innovative capacity-building strategies that address root challenges for everyone living and traveling in the community.

“The Vernon Hill neighborhood has exploded with the activity following the opening of Polar Park, and we look forward to helping our residents better access the community as we continue to work toward increasing the walkability of our City by ensuring their feedback is heard throughout this process,” said Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty.  

The requested grant is $1.98 million in federal funds to advance total project costs of $2.5 million, which will also be supported with a $500,000 state match from MassDOT and $20,000 in in-kind matches from the City of Worcester and CMRPC.  

For more information on the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program, please visit https://www.transportation.gov/grants/rcnprogram.

###