There’s $$$ on the table.

From a transportation perspective, federal funding will support Highway to Boulevard efforts through the Reconnecting Communities pilot program. The program provides $1B over five years to reinvest in transportation infrastructure that better connects communities to economic opportunities.[19] For example, California recently announced $150M in state funding for a parallel program as well, with other states potentially following suit.[20] These funds can be distributed via planning grants to explore area-specific options that work for respective communities, making this the perfect time to begin exploring concrete alternatives to DC-295.

However, there are also a number of federal funding sources available from Federal Agencies like FEMA, EPA, and HUD to support building community resilience with nature-based solutions. These include the Coastal and marine habitat restoration grants, national coastal resilience fund, hazard mitigation assistance grants, and the community development block grant program.[21] Finally, if we layer into this project’s green-blue infrastructure that help deal with ecological issues we can add funding from other sources that support such projects.