Phoenix airport awarded US$10 million to create Cultural Corridor

PHOENIX, AZ – The Phoenix Aviation Department received a US$10 million grant from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program to create a Cultural Corridor that reconnects disadvantaged and airport-adjacent communities to downtown Phoenix.

“It is exciting to see our community’s plans for the neighborhoods west of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport receive this kind of recognition,” said Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego.

The mayor added that the grant will allow for honoring the legacies, histories and identities of existing communities while improving safety and mobility in the region.

The PHX Cultural Corridor project was created as part of PHX’s Land Reuse Strategy. The City’s Aviation Department, along with community organizations, neighborhoods and other stakeholders, developed a strategy that could help accelerate the redevelopment of Airport-owned land located west of the Airport. The main goals are to stabilize and strengthen neighborhoods, create a sense of identity and change perceptions, and expand economic opportunities.

“Our residents were clear that they wanted to return vacant land to productive use so we can create a vibrant living and working environment and they wanted to celebrate the rich history of our community; this grant will allow us to respond to those requests,” said Ward 8 Councilmember Kesha Hodge Washington.

The Cultural Corridor will consist of a number of elements such as creating ADA-compliant sidewalks, adding streetlights, adding protected bike lanes, deploying wayfinding elements and historic building/site markers, constructing bus stops, re-establishing utility connections and installing public art.

In addition, the Cultural Corridor will be bounded by 7th Street to the west, 16th Street and Sky Harbor Circle to the east, Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) to the north and I-17 to the south.  It includes the historic neighborhoods of Central City South/Nuestro Barrio de El Campito, Cuatro Milpas, Ann Ott, Green Valley and San Juan Batista.

RAISE grants are a program that funds surface transportation and infrastructure projects. The funds were authorized under the Local and Regional Assistance Program of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act.