09-10-2024 Resolution 12235RESOLUTION NO. 12235
RESOLUTION OF SUPPORT FOR THE ‘RECONNECTING RICHFIELD: 76th ST/77th ST
PLANNING STUDY’ THROUGH THE USDOT RECONNECTING COMMUNITIES PILOT
GRANT PROGRAM APPLICATION
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting
Communities Pilot (RCP) Grant Program was created and funded through the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law (BIL); and
WHEREAS, the RCP Grant Program will competitively award planning capital
construction grants and technical assistance for community-centered transportation
projects, with emphasis on aiding disadvantaged communities in accessing vital services
and removing barriers like highways that impede connectivity, mobility, and economic
development; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richfield will pursue planning grant funds and provide the
mandatory match of 20 percent of project costs, which combined, will be used to identify
improvements to transportation barriers that impact pedestrians living near and using the
76th St/77th St corridor in Richfield; and
WHEREAS, the 76th St/77th St corridor is a 3.5-mile long, west-east corridor that
stretches across the southern part of Richfield and runs parallel to I-494—a freeway that
carried 120,000–140,000 vehicles per day in 2022 and is currently being expanded; and
WHEREAS, the 76th St/77th St corridor functions as a reliever route for I-494 by
carrying high traffic volumes at high speeds; and
WHEREAS, the 76th St/77th St corridor features a noise wall located on the north
side of the street for the majority of the corridor creating an obstacle to access nearby
destinations like parks and jobs; and
WHEREAS, the corridor provides limited bicycle/pedestrian accommodations along
the route and poor pedestrian crossing infrastructure; and
WHEREAS, the corridor contributes to a portion of the City of Richfield’s residents
that live south of 77th St—including a large area identified as a disadvantaged community
by the USDOT—being pinched between two major transportation corridors that act as
mobility barriers; and
WHEREAS, there are a total of eight public and private schools within just over 0.5-
mile of the project corridor; and
WHEREAS, the corridor’s lack of accessibility was identified in the 2014 Safe Routes
to School Comprehensive Plan in collaboration with Richfield Public Schools and noted there
are very high traffic volumes acting as a significant barrier to pedestrians and bicyclists, and
that “there are not any designated school zones or school crossings near the school”; and
WHEREAS, according to the EPA's EJScreen data, within a 0.5-mile radius of the
corridor, 48 percent of residents are people of color, 3 0 percent have low income, and 19
percent are aged 64 or older; and
WHEREAS, EJScreen data also indicated that within a 0.5-mile radius of the corridor,
there exists a food desert, housing burdened residents, and challenges related to
transportation access; and
WHEREAS, improving accessibility and removing barriers on the 76th St/77th St
corridor will increase the safety and improve the experience of students traveling to and from
schools and community members accessing jobs, goods, and services; and
WHEREAS, on September 4, 2024, the Richfield Transportation Commission
reviewed and discussed the merits the USDOT RCP Grant Program application and voted
to encourage the City Council to adopt this resolution in support of the application; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richfield invests in infrastructure to best serve today’s and
tomorrow’s residents, businesses, and visitors; and
WHEREAS, the City of Richfield ensures that City services are accessible to people
of all races, ethnicities, incomes, and abilities.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the City Council of the City of Richfield,
Minnesota, supports Public Works’ 2024 USDOT RCP Grant Program application for the
‘Reconnecting Richfield: 76th St/77th St Planning Study’.
Adopted by the City Council of the City of Richfield, Minnesota this 10th day of September,
2024.
Mary Supple, Mayor
ATTEST:
Michelle Friedrich, City Clerk