USDOT Awards Charleston $25 Million Grant For Capital Connector

Charleston will receive a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to upgrade a popular thoroughfare.

Charleston was awarded nearly $25 million in discretionary funds from USDOT to complete the Capital Connector, which includes improvements to Kanawha Boulevard and Greenbrier Street around the state capitol.

The project will transform the corridor from downtown to the 35th Street bridge to make it more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg’s office made the selection through the RAISE program, which stands for Rebuilding America’s Infrastructure for Sustainability and Equity.

The popular and competitive grant program began in the Obama administration, when it was called TIGER and continued in the Trump administration, when it was called BUILD.

In 2021, the department awarded Charleston $1.75 million for planning and design for the project.

Charleston isn’t the only West Virginia city benefiting from the federal investment.

In 2022, Wheeling received a $16 million grant to improve a nearly 2-mile corridor downtown with improved sidewalks, bicycle and pedestrian paths and transit accessibility.

Last year, Parkersburg received $11 million to improve a 0.5-mile section of Pike Street.

Also last year, Berkeley County received $10 million to construct a multimodal transit center.