Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program

“Is it true that there’s a system in place that ensures that if there’s a highway going to be built, that it goes through low-income neighborhoods? I think there is, but … I’m going to do my damndest to make sure that this community, this neighborhood, has a say in what happens to that land.”

The Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program is named after Sandy Williams, a Black community organizer who worked tirelessly to reconnect her Spokane neighborhood of East Central community after Interstate 90 geographically split it in half. The program honors her work to address historic injustices created by highway projects by funding projects that repair walking, biking, and rolling connections across and along state highways.

"Sandy was a voice for the voiceless, a tireless advocate for marginalized people in Spokane, a journalist unafraid to speak truth to power, a builder of hope in her vision for the Carl Maxey Center, and a beloved friend to countless members of our community."

Sandy founded the  Carl Maxey Center , which continues to empower, uplift, and advocate for Spokane's Black Community in her legacy. She also created  The Black Lens , a newspaper for and by the Black community.

The Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program (SWCCP) was established to improve active transportation connectivity for people walking, biking, and rolling along and across current and former state highways. The program focuses on communities with high equity needs, which are those most affected by barriers to opportunity and environmental health disparities.

SWCCP can fund any project phase from planning through constructions. Projects could include, but are not limited to, active transportation planning studies, sidewalks, shared use paths, roadway reallocation for complete streets, and neighborhood greenways.

The program name honors Sandy Williams, a Black community activist who worked tirelessly to reconnect her Spokane neighborhood after the construction of Interstate 90 split it in half.

As part of the Move Ahead Washington transportation package approved by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Jay Inslee in March 2022, $50 million was allocated towards SWCCP over five years to:

• Repair transportation inequities by directing investments to low-wealth and disinvested communities as well as those overburdened by environmental hazards
• Improve access to community destinations and services
• Provide contracting opportunities for People of Color, women-owned businesses, and community-based organizations 

 Read the legislative package that established SWCCP (ESSB 5974, Sec. 417) 

SWCCP distributed $21,611,000 million to 26 projects statewide in the first two years. Funded projects span the full lifecycle of project development, including planning, community engagement, design, construction, and critical preservation. Projects include  complete streets  retrofits, speed management, creation of shared use paths and trails on or parallel to state routes, closing gaps in disconnected  active transportation  networks, improved crossing opportunities, and improvements to walkways, bikeways, trails, crossings, and greenways access to connect communities with key destinations. 

These projects will ultimately improve the connectivity and safety of the active transportation network in high equity need highway corridors across the state. These projects reflect local public input gathered by agency partners and will advance locally preferred solutions to improve community connections.

WSDOT used publicly available data to map state highways located in communities with high equity needs.

Current and former state highways include arterials, highways, and state-owned routes that present barriers for people walking, biking, and rolling. WSDOT mapped where state highways passed through population centers such as cities, towns, or census designated places, as well as through tribal lands or within five miles of essential tribal service locations such as Indian Health Services sites, tribal colleges, and tribal organizations. SWCCP selects projects in locations prioritized based on legislative requirements.

Factors used to determine equity need include:

• Transportation: those with high transportation costs and/or no access to a vehicle
• Health: residents with few healthy food choices and/or disproportionate health outcomes 
• Economics: those living on low incomes 
• Family + Community: Youth and Seniors, systemically oppressed and marginalized communities that have largely been left out of traditional planning processes—including but not limited to Black, Indigenous, Asian and Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latinx, and other communities of color—those with limited English skills, and people with disabilities
• Environmental Justice: communities with disproportionate exposure to pollutants, diesel pollution, and industrial contaminants 

Each Census Block Group received a score based on these factors, and the resulting scores were summed to create the final High Equity Need Score. On the map, areas with a final score of 18 or above have the highest need; a score of 14-17 have high need; and a score of 10-13 have moderate need. Communities that fall within the "Very High" and "High" equity need categories are the primary focus of the program.

Explore high equity needs around Washington in the interactive map below.

For more detail on how scores were determined, see Appendix B of the  2023-2025 Legislative Report .

The Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program is wholly supported by funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work by reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health.  

In its first two years, SWCCP dedicated $25 million to 26 projects across the state. Once awarded, SWCCP funds can be leveraged as local match funding for federal funds including  RAISE grants ,  Safe Streets for All grants ,  Reconnecting Communities Pilot Program grants , and  WSDOT-administered federal funding sources . Additionally, funds can bring resources to projects where state agencies such as the  Transportation Improvement Board (TIB) , regional, or local funding cannot fully meet needs. 

Title VI Public Notice. It is the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) policy to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin or sex, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its federally funded programs and activities. Any person who believes his/her Title VI protection has been violated, may file a complaint with WSDOT’s Office of Equal Opportunity (OEO). For additional information regarding Title VI complaint procedures and/or information regarding our non-discrimination obligations, please contact OEO’s Title VI Coordinator at 360-705-7082.

American with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information. This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the Office of Equal Opportunity at wsdotada@wsdot.wa.gov or by calling toll free, 855-362-4ADA (4232). Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may make a request by calling the Washington State Relay at 711.

Additional ADA and Title VI language translations available.

The Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act. The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at  www.climate.wa.gov  

El Programa de conexión de comunidades de Sandy Williams cuenta con el respaldo del financiamiento proveniente de la Ley de Compromiso Climático de Washington. CCA (Climate Commitment Act, Ley de Compromiso Climático) apoya los esfuerzos de acción climática de Washington y utiliza el dinero del programa de límite e inversión para reducir la contaminación climática, crear empleos y mejorar la salud pública. Para obtener información sobre la CCA, visite  www.climate.wa.gov .    

桑迪·威廉姆斯连接社区计划 由Washington州《气候承诺法案》提供资金支持。CCA (Climate Commitment Act, 气候承诺法案) 支持Washington州的气候行动，将“限额和投资”资金用于减少气候污染、创造就业机会和改善公众健康。有关CCA的信息，请访问  www.climate.wa.gov。  

Chương trình kết nối cộng đồng Sandy Williams được hỗ trợ bằng nguồn tài trợ từ Đạo Luật Cam Kết Khí Hậu của Washington.  CCA (Climate Commitment Act, Đạo Luật Cam Kết Khí Hậu) hỗ trợ các nỗ lực chống biến đổi khí hậu bằng cách sử dụng tiền từ chương trình cap-and-invest (giới hạn phát thải và đầu tư khoản thu từ quyền phát thải vào các sáng kiến khí hậu) nhằm giảm ô nhiễm không khí, tạo việc làm và cải thiện sức khỏe cộng đồng. Thông tin về CCA được đăng tại  www.climate.wa.gov . 

Програма об’єднання спільнот Сенді Вільямс фінансується за кошти, здобуті за допомогою Закону про зобов’язання з боротьби зі зміною клімату штату Washington. CCA (Climate Commitment Act, Закон про зобов’язання з боротьби зі зміною клімату) підтримує зусилля штату Washington із боротьби зі зміною клімату через внески коштів, здобутих від обмежень та інвестицій, у скорочення забруднення клімату, створення робочих місць і покращення громадської охорони здоров’я. Інформація про CCA доступна на вебсайті  www.climate.wa.gov . 

Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program ej bõk jibañ in jāān jen Climate Commitment Act (Kakien eo an state ñan an kombani im doulul ko elabtata aer kõjerbal kiaj ko rej kõmman an māānānlok mejatoto bwe ren kadiklok aer kõjerbal mõttan kein) an Washington. Climate Commitment Act (Kakien eo an state ñan an kombani im doulul ko elabtata aer kõjerbal kiaj ko rej kõmman an māānānlok mejatoto bwe ren kadiklok aer kõjerbal mõttan kein, CCA) ej jibañ jerbal ko an Washington ñan kejbarok mejatoto im jikin ko ipelaakid ilo an kõjejjet joñan ko relabtata im lelok jāān im jerbal ko ñan kadiklok baijin im ettonon ko ilo mejatoto, kõmman an wõr jerbal, im kõkmanmanlok ejmour ko an armij. Ewõr melele kin CCA ilo  www.climate.wa.gov .