Federal Funding Delivered by Pressley Would Support Equitable Design and Construction of Infrastructure Improvements in Roxbury

WASHINGTON – Today, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) issued a statement condemning the Trump Administration’s unjust cancellation of a $20 million federal grant for the City of Boston’s Roxbury Resiliency Corridors Project. The funding, awarded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability & Equity (RAISE) Grants program, would support the construction of safety improvements at several intersections and provide enhanced mobility for all along sections of Melnea Cass Boulevard, Malcolm X Boulevard, and Warren Street in Roxbury.

“These funds are a critical investment in the Roxbury community, and they have already been authorized and approved,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “The inexplicable cancellation of this competitively awarded grant money, allocated by Congress, to projects that would improve the daily lives of commuters, enhance the climate resilience of communities at risk, and strengthen our communities, is evidence of this Administration’s inability or unwillingness to govern. I am not letting up and I will be working with our state and local partners to push back and attempt to undo this utterly ridiculous attempt from the White House to cancel these funds.”

Rep. Pressley has been advocating for federal funding to support the Roxbury Resiliency Corridors Project and submitted a letter of support for the project to DOT in April 2022.  

More information about the Roxbury Resiliency Corridors Project and the benefits it would bring is available here.  

In March 2021, Congresswoman Pressley and Senator Markey re-introduced the Freedom to Move Act, their legislation to support state and local efforts to establish public transportation as a public good through fare-free services. Last week, Rep. Pressley and Sen. Markey urged the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to make the entire T fare-free for the duration of the Orange Line’s shutdown. 

In October 2019, Rep. Pressley founded the Future of Transportation Caucus, a Congressional caucus focused on centering equity, access, and sustainability in our transportation systems. Rep. Pressley also co-chairs the Congressional Bike Caucus. 

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