PARAMOUNT, CA / ACCESSWIRE / October 8, 2024 / Gateway Cities Council of Governments (Gateway Cities) is proud to be a recipient of a US Department of Transportation's (USDOT) Thriving Communities Program (TCP) grant. TCP offers planning, technical assistance, and capacity building support to disadvantaged communities across the United States. Gateway Cities is part of the National Networked Communities, which includes communities located near ports, airports, freight, and rail facilities.

"Gateway Cities sought this competitive grant from US DOT to benefit our impacted and disadvantaged communities," said Hector De La Torre, Executive Director of Gateway Cities. "Our goal is to collaborate to identify projects that will improve our residents' quality of life with federal support for our underserved communities."

TCP will support 12 cities in the Gateway Cities region with census tracts within a 1-mile buffer surrounding the I-710 freeway corridor: Commerce, Long Beach, Bell, Bell Gardens, Compton, Cudahy, Downey, Lynwood, Maywood, Paramount, South Gate, and Vernon, with Gateway Cities managing the program and convening the cities.

The I-710 Freeway Corridor has been targeted for investment by LA Metro and Caltrans as part of the Long Beach East- Los Angeles Corridor Mobility Investment Plan.TCP support will help to secure future federal funding to match local LA Metro funding to plan, design, and implement selected projects from the I-710 Livability Initiative, a plan created by Gateway Cities and LA Metro with significant stakeholder and community input.

Examples of projects include multi-modal transportation, safety, urban design and greening, and other improvements within the I-710 Corridor study area. Gateway Cities will organize and convene local cities and stakeholders for these regional projects. It is important to note that 79% of the 121 identified I-710 Corridor census tracts are considered disadvantaged based on federal indicators from the US Council on Environmental Quality and 94% based on CalEnviroScreen 4.0 metrics, indicating consensus on federal and state-recognized need within the region.

Technical Assistance for TCP will be provided to Gateway Cities and its community partners by the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials. Of the 64 communities in the TCP last year, 37 have now won federal funding for their communities through US DOT discretionary grant programs such as Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A), Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE), and the Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program.

About the USDOT Thriving Communities Program

Through their National Capacity Builder Program, the 2023 TCP will help 52 communities nationwide access federal funding and resources provided by President Biden's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The TCP is administered by the Build America Bureau and is part of the larger Federal Thriving Communities Initiative. US DOT received 229 Letters of Interest to receive technical assistance from this year's program and selected only 112 communities nationwide. The TCP will provide two years of deep-dive assistance to help communities plan and develop a pipeline of comprehensive transportation, housing, and community revitalization activities as well as peer learning opportunities through assigned Communities of Practice.

About Gateway Cities Council of Governments

Gateway Cities is a joint powers authority of 27 cities and 11 unincorporated areas in southeast Los Angeles County, with over two million residents. We are over 5% of California's population but have over 14% of the disadvantaged community census tracts in the state. At the same time, we have four of the 19 Community Air Pollution Program (AB 617) designations in California.

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CONTACT: Patrick Lewis, Transportation Analyst - (562) 663-6850

SOURCE: Gateway Cities Council of Governments