Planning & Development
Press Release
City of Houston Awarded Federal Reconnecting Communities Planning Grant for Gulfton and Beyond Study
February 28, 2023 -- The United States Department of Transportation announced the City of Houston will receive $552,160 in federal funding through the Reconnecting Communities Pilot (RCP) grant program for the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study.
The grant will fund a community-driven planning process to engage residents and design future connections between Gulfton and crucial destinations currently separated by freeways and busy thoroughfares. This study directly supports the City of Houston’s Gulfton Complete Communities Action Plan and will build from recently completed improvements to Hillcroft Avenue.
“Gulfton is Houston’s most densely populated, diverse, and transit-dependent neighborhood, but its residents face many physical barriers in getting around their neighborhood,” Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner said in reference to the Southwest Freeway, Westpark Tollway and other busy throughfare. “I thank the United States Department of Transportation for committing funds to address these barriers and propose workable solutions.”
Reconnecting Communities is the first-ever federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities like Gulfton that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. The study will allow the City of Houston Planning and Development Department to conduct a 12-month planning process to study and design connections across these barriers by working with residents and agency partners.
The Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study will build from the recently completed Gulfton streets with new crossings, bikeways, and transit stops. The study will propose future extensions of this project to connect to crucial destinations including: with new crossings, bikeways, and transit stops. The study will propose future extensions of this project to connect to crucial destinations including:
- Wisdom High School
- Hillcroft Transit Center
- Mahatma Gandhi District
- Brays Bayou Greenway Trail
“Gulfton is a vibrant part of Texas’ Seventh Congressional District, and I am thrilled that the U.S. Department of Transportation will award the City of Houston more than half a million dollars for the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study,” said Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher.
“This investment in Houston’s most dense and transit-dependent neighborhood will enhance multimodal accessibility, increase economic opportunities, and improve overall wellbeing for surrounding communities, enabling Houstonians to travel safely to and from work, school, and other destinations,” Fletcher said. “I was glad to partner with City and Gulfton community leaders to advocate for this grant, and I look forward to continuing our work with together to bring improvements of all kinds back home.”
During the grant application process, the City of Houston worked in collaboration with the following elected officials, community partners and stakeholders:
- U.S Representative Lizzie Fletcher (TX-7)
- Texas State Senator Borris Miles (District 13)
- Texas State Representative Gene Wu (District 137)
- City of Houston Council Member Edward Pollard (District J)
- City of Houston Council Member Tiffany Thomas (District F)
- Harris County Precinct 4
- Texas Department of Transportation
- Harris County Toll Road Authority
- Southwest Management District
- Gulfton Management District
- Gulfton Super Neighborhood Council
- Connect Community
- Air Alliance Houston
- BikeHouston
- LINK Houston
- Neighborhoods to Trails Southwest
Learn more about the Reconnecting Communities: Gulfton and Beyond Study.
