Chinatown Stitch project to build public park over Vine Street Expressway
Casey, Evans, and Boyle previously delivered funding from the infrastructure law to study most effective way to reconnect Chinatown neighborhood
Philadelphia, PA – Today, U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) and U.S. Representatives Dwight Evans (D-PA-3) and Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), and Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle L. Parker secured $158,911,664 in federal funding to reconnect Philadelphia’s Chinatown neighborhood across the Vine Street Expressway (I-676), which split the historic neighborhood apart when it was constructed. The grant will fund construction of a new public park across the expressway and includes traffic calming measures and a connection to the new Rail Park on the Reading viaduct.
“After we passed the infrastructure law, I worked to help Philadelphia right historical wrongs by bridging the gap that divided Chinatown residents from economic opportunities and from each other,” said Senator Casey. “Decades after Chinatown residents suffered the consequences of harmful infrastructure decisions that divided their neighborhood in half, I am proud to say that we are another step closer to connecting this community, which includes creating a new park for all Philadelphians to enjoy.”
“I co-led the Reconnecting Communities initiative in the House because of communities like Chinatown in Philadelphia and across the country that have taken the biggest hit from highways,” said Congressman Evans. “This is one of the reasons I was proud to vote for President Biden’s Infrastructure and Jobs Act that continues to deliver for Philadelphia – the Reconnecting Communities initiative puts people before pavement and communities before cars.”
“For far too long, the construction of the Vine Street expressway created barriers to mobility and economic opportunity for the Chinatown community,” said Congressman Boyle. “I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that included the Reconnecting Communities Act to work toward finding a solution to that problem. I am pleased to see those investments now arriving here in Philadelphia. This funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will help repair the division of Chinatown as we engage in a historic rebuilding of American infrastructure in the City of Philadelphia.”
“I’m proud to stand here today with Federal partners Senator Casey and Representatives Boyle and Evans to celebrate this substantial federal funding for our Chinatown Stitch project, and I also thank Senator Fetterman for his support,” said Mayor Cherelle L. Parker. “This project will help Chinatown better connect with other portions of our downtown and provide essential greenspace for the community. Today’s announcement is inter-governmental collaboration at its finest.”
“This grant award is transformative. If a community has a dream, it has a will. If a community has a will, it has the power to effect change,” said John Chin, Executive Director, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation (PCDC). “We are indebted to Senators Bob Casey and John Fetterman, Congressmembers Brendan Boyle and Dwight Evans, our local elected officials, and transportation agencies for making this dream a reality.”
Casey, Fetterman, Evans, and Boyle secured this grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Reconnecting Communities Pilot grant program, created by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). Reconnecting Communities is the first-ever federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities and otherwise burdened by past transportation infrastructure decisions.
The Pennsylvania delegation in Congress has consistently fought for federal funding for the City of Philadelphia for safety improvements on the Roosevelt Boulevard Expressway and on high-crash corridors in historically disadvantaged communities. In February 2023, they secured $1,805,000 to study the best way to reconnect Chinatown, similarly through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot program.
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