Ira Reynolds Park, a “brownfields to greenfields” site, is disconnected from the rest of Susquehanna Depot due to a rail line
Casey fought to secure funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to improve the park’s accessibility
Funding comes just days after Casey secured $1 million for new entrance and rail crossing for park
Washington, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA) secured $125,389 to increase the safety and accessibility of Ira Reynolds Park in the Borough of Susquehanna Depot. The park, which was developed over the past decade on the site of a former railroad factory, is currently only accessible via a narrow railroad overpass that is difficult by car and dangerous on foot. The funding, which was secured from the Inflation Reduction Act, will help the Borough plan a new entrance to the park that is safer and more accessible for cars and pedestrians alike. The new funding comes just days after Senator Casey secured $1 million to reconstruct the park’s entrance in the first half of the FY24 federal spending package.
“As communities around Pennsylvania work to reclaim and clean up brownfield sites, we have to make sure the new amenities created by those efforts are actually accessible to Pennsylvanians,” said Senator Casey. “This funding is a critical step to ensuring that the people of Susquehanna Depot can access and enjoy Ira Reynolds Park and yet another example of how the Inflation Reduction Act is reconnecting and revitalizing communities across our Commonwealth.”
The funding for this project came from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Neighborhood Access and Equity (NAE) Program, created by the?Inflation Reduction Act, to connect communities by supporting neighborhood equity, safety, and affordable transportation access as well as mitigating negative environmental impacts. Casey voted to pass the Inflation Reduction Act and wrote a letter of support advocating for the Ira Reynolds Park project to receive funding.
Senator Casey has led efforts in the Senate to restore brownfield sites. Last year alone, Casey delivered $14 million to clean up Pennsylvania brownfields.
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