Emeryville's mayor is in Washington, D.C. this week lobbying for more money to improve the city's transportation infrastructure. Mayor John J. Bauters says this is all part of the city's vision to make the East Bay of the future more connected and easier to get around.
On Monday, Bauters says he will be speaking with Department of Transportation officials about projects in Emeryville which the city is seeking support or funding for.
The largest of those projects is the 40th Street/ Shellmound Project to improve conditions for people riding the bus, cycling, or walking in the area.
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"We are envisioning a really big project here, we’re looking to do all of 40th Street from our border with Oakland to Adeline [Street], through our primary commercial and hotel corridor where all of our jobs are centrally located, and then up Shellmound Street through the Public Market," Bauters explained.
Through state and local funds, Bauters says the city has a little more than half of the 30 million dollars it needs for the 40th Street/ Shellmound project.
To close that gap, the city applied last year for the Department of Transportation's "Reconnecting Communities" grant.
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"Which would just give us a 'road diet', add protected bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and transit-only lanes through Emeryville," Bauters said.
The city is waiting to hear back about the grant, and hoping an in-person visit to Washington helps boost its chances of getting funding.
Bauters says a special assistant to the U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg will be present at his meeting Monday.
"Although Secretary Buttigieg will not be there, we hope he will watch NBC News Bay Area and lean on his staff to do something good for everyone," Bauters said during the interview Sunday.
Last year was this federal program's first year, and projects in Oakland and San Jose were grant recipients.
This fiscal year, the department says there's a total of $198 million on the table for this grant program.
Bauters said he is hoping to know whether Emeryville is a recipient by the time they do the city budget in June of next year.
