Blockbuster grant for Downtown Atlanta infrastructure project part of more than $200 million federal investment in key infrastructure projects throughout Georgia

Federal award package also includes $50 million for the Atlanta’s Beltline to Flint River Trail, and nearly $2 million for removal of Savannah’s I-16 Flyover

Awards funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program and the Inflation Reduction Act’s Neighborhood Access and Equity Program

Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program based on legislation led by Senator Reverend Warnock and successfully secured in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act

Senator Reverend Warnock: “This tremendous federal award for The Stitch is a direct result of the people of Georgia sending Jon Ossoff and I to the Senate, and it’s exactly the kind of investment I had in mind when I championed legislation last Congress to invest in reconnecting communities severed by highway construction”

Both Senators Reverend Warnock and Ossoff championed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act for their investments in Georgia

Senator Ossoff: “We are delivering historic resources to upgrade transportation and recreation infrastructure for Georgia families”

Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock (D-GA) and Jon Ossoff (D-GA) announced over $210 million in new federal awards for key infrastructure projects across Georgia, including a $157 million federal grant for The Stitch in Atlanta. The federal package, comprised of five separate grants, also includes a $50 million award for the Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail, and a nearly $2 million investment for removal of the I-16 Flyover exit in Savannah. The grants were funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program and the Inflation Reduction Act’s Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Program—two pieces of legislation that were championed by the Senators for their investments in Georgia.

“This tremendous federal award for The Stitch is a direct result of the people of Georgia sending Jon Ossoff and I to the Senate, and it’s exactly the kind of investment I had in mind when I championed legislation last Congress to invest in reconnecting communities severed by highway construction,” said Senator Warnock. “Additionally, the significant funding for the Atlanta Beltline to Flint River Trail and other key infrastructure projects in Georgia will help strengthen communities across the Peach State by improving pedestrian mobility, traffic flow, and bolster local commerce. As a member of the Senate committee that handles transportation policy, I’m going to keep working with my fellow Georgia lawmakers to direct federal support to important infrastructure projects in our state like The Stitch and make them a reality.”

“We are delivering historic resources to upgrade transportation and recreation infrastructure for Georgia families. I thank President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Buttigieg, and Assistant Secretary Coes for their support as we lead Georgia forward, and I commend the City of Atlanta, Atlanta Regional Commission, Macon-Bibb County, Athens-Clarke County, and City of Savannah for their successful work bidding for these major awards,” Senator Ossoff said.

The $157,645,161 award for The Stitch will fund phase 1 construction of a planned multi-use 14-acre greenspace over Interstates 75 and 85 that will reconnect north Downtown Atlanta neighborhoods that were divided by the current highway system. Beyond reconnecting these communities, The Stitch will also support new affordable housing and transit-oriented development, improve the overall transportation network in Downtown Atlanta by transforming existing car-oriented streets into complete streets, and enhance a local MARTA rail and regional bus station to improve operations and user experience. Rep. Nikema Williams (D-GA-5^th) led efforts to bolster federal support for the project in the House of Representatives.

“The Stitch will reclaim a massive part of our city from infrastructure that divided the Black neighborhoods of Buttermilk Bottoms, Bedford Pines, and Sweet Auburn. And with a new connection to the BeltLine, we are increasing pathways to opportunity for communities that have historically been overlooked for federal investments,” said Congresswoman Nikema Williams (D-GA-5^th). “Reconnecting our communities with a focus on equity is why I passed the legislation that funded these transformational grants. I will keep working with Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Regional Commission to build these visionary projects that serve everyone.”

“Today’s monumental announcement is why effective representation in Washington D.C. matters. Senators Ossoff and Warnock, alongside Congresswoman Williams have consistently delivered for the Atlanta community time and again. Thanks to the Biden-Harris Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we have a massive investment into our city. I also want to thank U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg for always being an ally to both the Administration and Atlantans alike. These funds will catalyze The Stitch and the Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail, both long-term investments that will unite our communities and move Atlanta forward,” stated Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens.

“This historic $157 million investment in The Stitch by USDOT through the Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grant program will fund the implementation of Phase 1, which includes the creation of up to five acres of new park space above the Downtown Connector, improvements to seven Downtown streets, and enhanced connectivity to the MARTA Civic Center bus and rail station. The Stitch has been a dream of the Downtown Atlanta community for 20 years. With the award of this USDOT funding authorized by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act, we are now able to make this dream a reality,” said A.J. Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, and Jack Cebe, Stitch Development Manager, the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District. “The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (ADID) sincerely thanks Senator Jon Ossoff, Senator Raphael Warnock, and Congresswoman Nikema Williams for their advocacy and support of this grant application, and for their continued commitment to advancing the Stitch. ADID is also grateful for the dedication of its implementation partners to the Stitch and their support of this grant request. These partners include Mayor Andre Dickens and the City of Atlanta, Executive Director Anna Roach and the Atlanta Regional Commission, Commissioner Russell McMurry and the Georgia Department of Transportation, and General Manager Collie Greenwood and MARTA.”

Senators Warnock and Ossoff have both been longtime champions for the job-generating project, including securing a $900,000 planning grant for the project in 2021 and a $5 million federal investment for the Stitch in the FY ’24 government funding bill. A member of the Senate Commerce Committee which handles transportation policy, Senator Warnock co-authored legislation to invest in reconnecting communities and successfully secured provisions of his legislation in both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, providing the basis for this funding. Additionally, Senator Warnock has directly advocated for the project with Secretary Buttigieg, including during a May 2021 Senate Commerce committee hearing, in a July 2021 letter, again in a September 2022 letter, and again in a November 2023 letter alongside Senator Ossoff.

A Savannah native, Senator Warnock has also long championed I-16 flyover exit removal, securing provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law strengthening federal support for reconnecting communities programs like the flyover removal, and securing $720,000 for the project in the last government funding bill.

“I grew up in Savannah, in the shadow of the I-16 flyover, and I know what removing it would mean for folks in the neighborhood I grew up in and all over the city,” continued Senator Warnock about the awards. “That’s why I’ve been working hard to bolster federal support for this project since I got to the Senate and will keep pushing for Washington to do its part to see it through.”

Additionally, $50 million in federal funding will flow to the Atlanta Beltline to Flint River Trail, bridging existing transportation barriers to connect Atlanta’s south side communities, including schools, hospitals, job centers, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail stations, the Beltline, and employment centers. The trail would further connect communities around Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and would help promote long-term economic growth in the area.  

See below additional details about Georgia investments being provided through FY23 funding for the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) Program and FY23 funding for the Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Program:

Grant Program	Project Name	City/Location	Award Amount	Project Description
NAE	The Stitch Phase 1 Implementation	City of Atlanta	$157,645,161	Phase 1 of the Stitch is an effort to redress the lasting burden on Downtown Atlanta caused by the construction of Interstates I-75 and I-85. It proposes to reconnect the community by capping the interstate with a new 4-acre community-focused park, implementing multimodal improvements across the street network, making significant investments in affordable housing, and rehabilitating the MARTA Civic Center station. The Stitch is currently in development and is on-track for a 2026 construction start date with an estimated completion in 2029.
NAE	Reconnecting Atlanta’s Southside Communities: Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail	City of Atlanta	$50,000,000	The Atlanta BeltLine to Flint River Trail is a multi-jurisdictional, regional solution that reconnects communities divided by surface transportation facilities through an ambitious, multi-use, multi-jurisdictional trail. This trail would bridge the transportation barriers to connect schools, hospitals, job centers, Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) rail stations, the BeltLine, and employment centers. The Trail would link disadvantaged communities—a regional collaboration crossing multiple jurisdictions for an area long passed over for federal transportation investments.
RCP	City of Savannah	City of Savannah	$1,800,000	The I-16 Ramp Removal Project, which proposes to remove the flyover exit ramp over Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK, Jr.) Boulevard to Montgomery Street and the associated adjacent ramps. Removing the exit ramps will reconnect the once historic grid street network with new connections and provide access for neighboring communities to downtown, the Canal District and the new arena. It will create small sized neighborhood blocks, providing a safer pedestrian friendly environment by reducing vehicular speeds and adding public green spaces for the community. Removal of the I-16 interchange ramps is intended to spur neighborhood revitalization and equitable redevelopment opportunities over the reclaimed eight acres of land in downtown Savannah, for affordable housing, businesses, civic spaces and other community needs as identified through the public engagement process.
NAE	Connect Athens	City of Athens	$800,000	Connect Athens is a planning process to identify short and long-term recommendations for Hawthorne Ave and Oglethorpe Ave. These intersecting arterials are in a Persistent Poverty County and are overlaid by census tracts that include Areas of Persistent Poverty and Historically Disadvantaged Communities.  To improve quality of life, the project seeks to increase safety and advance connectivity for disadvantaged communities that have disproportionally faced legacy impacts of disinvestment.
NAE	Macon-Bibb County Pleasant Hill Reconnection and Commercial Planning	Macon-Bibb County	$500,000	Split by I-75, the historic Pleasant Hill neighborhood is seeking assistance in developing a full streetscapes and commercial development plan to reconnect the community to itself and Macon’s downtown business district. Plan would focus on engagement, public infrastructure, zoning changes, and anti-displacement strategies.