Rep. Kelly leads groundbreaking ceremony for Erie's Bayfront Parkway Improvement Project

ERIE, PENNSYLVANIA -- Today, U.S. Rep. Mike Kelly (R-PA) led the groundbreaking ceremony for the City of Erie's Bayfront Parkway Central Corridor Improvement Project. In 2020, Kelly secured $21 million for the project through a highly competitive BUILD Grant, which is funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation allocated for infrastructure projects in communities nationwide.

Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, Erie County Executive Brenton Davis, Erie Mayor Joe Schember, and other local leaders were in attendance.

"This is a great day for not only the City of Erie, but for motorists across the tri-state region who work, live, and play in the Flagship City," Kelly said. "By securing $21 million in federal funding for this project, we are investing in a major transportation and infrastructure project that will greatly improve one of the most traveled highways in the city of Erie. We are putting American taxpayer dollars to work right here in the City of Erie."

BACKGROUND

In 2020, Rep. Kelly secured two BUILD Grants for infrastructure projects across Pennsylvania's 16th Congressional District. This includes $21 million to fund improvements to better connect Erie’s central business district to its waterfront including reconstructing three major intersections, removing existing railroad tracks including two at-grade crossings, closing gaps in a multi-use trail network, and constructing a multimodal bridge.

According to PennDOT, preliminary construction work on the $111.7 million project will start in Fall 2023. Major work will get underway in 2024. The project is expected to take three years to complete and will be done in phases that will maintain traffic to all the businesses off the parkway between Sassafras Street Extension to Holland Street.