Burlington Mayor Miro Weinberger and U.S. Sen. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) on Thursday announced $22.4 million in federal funding for downtown street improvements that will  include reconnecting the roadways severed  when the former Burlington Town Center mall was built. The project is part of the redevelopment of the mall site, which has gotten under way in earnest. It will reconnect St. Paul and Pine Streets and will also include improvements to Bank and Cherry streets. Construction is set to begin at the end of 2024. The funding comes from the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity act, which is injecting billions into projects nationwide. It will combine with the $16 million in funds from the city’s Waterfront tax increment financing district, $12 million federal funds secured by former U.S. senator Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and $600,000 in capital funds from Burlington. Weinberger recalled how attempts to revitalize downtown decades ago led to the demolition of a portion of the city. “From the start, this project has been an attempt to repair the damage done to this part of town when Burlington, like so many other American communities, tore down a large swath of its downtown as part of the federal urban renewal program,” Weinberger said at the conference. After the mall was purchased in 2014, the CityPlace Burlington developers and the city agreed to commit to a public-private partnership to rebuild the streets. But the mall site remained idle for years, becoming known locally as “the pit.” Weinberger acknowledged that, at times, it seemed as if the project would fail. It faced organized opposition, including litigation; construction delays stretched into years. When it was clear the TIF would not provide enough revenue to fund the street improvements, the city sought additional resources. Welch lauded both the work in D.C. to secure funding and local efforts to advance the project. “The hard work is right here. It’s people facing the challenges,” he said. This additional money will allow the city to expand on its original plan and rebuild a total of 10 blocks. The grant includes $1,543,000 in workforce development funds, which will primarily go toward employing low income youth and youth of color. The project is rooted in PlanBTV. The blocks will be designed for a vibrant, pedestrian-friendly streetscape, city officials said…