New Rochelle gets $16M federal grant for Memorial Highway transfomation

New Rochelle has been awarded a $16 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to help fund its plan to transform Memorial Highway from the roadway configuration into a modern connector between neighborhoods and the city’s downtown that is pedestrian friendly and loaded with green space. It’s known as the LINC project. The $16 million is on top of $12 million previously awarded through the DOT.

The latest grant came through DOT’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods (RCN) and Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) programs.

This award makes New Rochelle among the first communities in the nation to be selected by the DOT for the RCN and NAE grant programs, which were created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, respectively.

“Transforming New Rochelle’s Memorial Highway and reconnecting Lincoln Avenue area neighborhoods with lush green space, bike paths, increased safety features, new modern complete streets, and new economic opportunity is another giant step closer to becoming a reality,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “When Memorial Highway was built it cut through the heart of New Rochelle, it fractured and bulldozed parts of a vibrant neighborhood and left scars of systemic inequality that are felt to this day. Federal policies led to the creation of the concrete walls of Memorial Highway that divided New Rochelle’s Lincoln Avenue neighborhoods and constricted downtown access, but today the federal government is stepping up to right that historical wrong. With this funding, we are laying the foundation for the future of transportation in and mobility in New Rochelle, and putting the next generation of Lincoln Avenue families on the road to a better more equitable future.”

Construction on the project is expected to begin in 2025. The new federal funding will pay for all pre-construction work for the park and public open space, including expanding the project beyond a base design.

“For far too long, Lincoln Avenue has been cut off from the center of New Rochelle, and the LINC project is a key part of rectifying that injustice,” said New Rochelle City Manager Kathleen Gill.