SPOKANE, Wash. – A program connecting disenfranchised communities separated by highways named after Spokane activist Sandy Williams has been extended permanently by Washington State.
Originally launched as a four year pilot, the Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program is a Washington State Department of Transportation project which helps connect neighborhoods which are bisected by highways.
A bill signed into law on Thursday eliminated the end date for the program, meaning it will not cease in 2027.
Because the bill did not include an appropriations request, later legislative sessions will have to allocate funding to the program past 2027 if it is to continue to fund new neighborhood connection projects.
Williams was a prominent journalist in Spokane who founded The Black Lens and advocated for reconnecting the East Central neighborhood after it was separated by the I-90 highway in the late 1960s.
The House Bill report illustrates why infrastructure choices can compound preexisting social inequalities.
“Infrastructure…often [creates] significant obstacles in many communities, particularly those with a high percentage of BIPOC, immigrant, and low-income populations,” the report said.
Black communities in Washington State are more likely to exist near roads which create excess air pollution according to University of Washington researchers. Living near polluting infrastructure has led to worse health outcomes for Black Washingtonians.
The Connecting Communities Program intends to address these disparities, and now has the potential to continue financing restorative projects past 2027 if it receives additional legislative funding in future sessions.
