Last July, officials of the Wolf administration came to Erie to deliver $2.6 million to begin refining concepts and doing preliminary engineering on a crucial piece of reinventing Erie: fully connecting the bayfront across the Bayfront Parkway to downtown Erie.

On Friday, state officials returned to commit $30 million to turning that idea into reality. The money will pay for design and construction of improved links for vehicle traffic, pedestrians and bicyclists across the parkway, which now acts as a physical and psychological barrier between some of Erie’s most important assets.

The funding was announced at a news conference at Erie Insurance by Transportation Secretary Leslie Richards and Dennis Davin, secretary of the Department of Community and Economic Development.

A key recommendation of Erie Refocused, the city’s comprehensive plan, is creating an “iconic connection” between the bayfront and downtown Erie within 10 years. With Friday’s announcement, that work is funded and ahead of schedule.

Though that was the biggest headline, state officials also delivered other good news. The Wolf administration committed to grants and tax credits to fight blight and strengthen core neighborhoods, especially on the east and west bayfront, that brought the total funding announced Friday to $32.5 million. All of that work is directly aligned with the recommendations of Erie Refocused.

The funding includes Keystone Communities grants of $300,000 for the Bayfront East Side Taskforce to fight blight and renovate property in the bayfront neighborhoods, and $50,000 to the Sisters of St. Joseph Neighborhood Network for facade improvements in the Little Italy neighborhood.

The tax credits to a variety of nonprofits, to be provided under the Neighborhood Assistance Program, total $1.6 million. They will leverage $2.5 million in private donations to those groups, officials said.

State officials emphasized that the funding results to a sizable degree from political, business and civic leaders speaking with “one voice” about Erie’s and the region’s priorities. That hasn’t always been this community’s strong suit.

Local leaders had made clear to the state that connecting the bayfront and downtown was a top priority and a key to executing the vision of Erie Refocused. On Friday, the state responded to that consensus.

The result is a dramatic step forward for the burgeoning drive to turn Erie around. It adds considerable juice to the momentum building on a variety of fronts.

Remaking the Bayfront Parkway corridor dovetails perfectly, for example, with fast-developing plans by major players in the business community to invest downtown via the Erie Downtown Development Corp., and with the planned Harbor Place and Bayfront Place developments.

It all adds up to recognition by the state that, in Richards’ words, “something very special is happening in Erie.”