The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will be launching its Thriving Communities Initiative this fall. The initiative seeks to provide technical assistance and hands-on planning support for transformative infrastructure projects that will serve disadvantaged communities. To guide this work, the DOT has released a Request For Information (RFI) and is currently seeking input from disadvantaged communities to gain information on the technical assistance, planning and capacity-building needs they face. This information will then go on to help the DOT assess infrastructure funding and advance transformative transportation projects. In this RFI, the DOT defines disadvantaged communities as those in certain qualifying census tracts, any tribal land or any territory or possession of the United States. In Virginia, many of the identified qualifying census tracts lie in rural areas.
The purpose of the Thriving Communities Initiative assistance is to facilitate the planning and development of transportation and community revitalization activities supported by DOT that increase mobility, reduce pollution from transportation sources, expand affordable transportation options, facilitate efficient land use, preserve, or expand jobs, improve housing conditions, enhance connections to health care, education and food security or improve health outcomes.
If you are a transportation professional, local official, community partner or other stakeholder living or working in one of these disadvantaged communities, please provide your feedback to this RFI today. You can view the RFI and submit a comment through this link. The deadline for comment is August 26th, 2022.