NASHVILLE (AP) — U.S. Rep. Jim Cooper says a spending bill includes $3 million that would chip away at the $120 million price for a project to help reconnect a historically Black Nashville neighborhood divided by Interstate 40's construction in the 1960s.

The Democrat's office announced the proposed funding for the cap project Thursday in a bill that still would need Senate approval.

The project suffered a recent setback when the federal government rejected a $72 million infrastructure grant application. Cooper's brother, Nashville Mayor John Cooper, has vowed to pursue other funding options as debate over infrastructure continues. The city has planned to handle the $48 million remainder locally.

The 3.4-acre cap aims to create community space above the highway to help reinvigorate and reconnect North Nashville neighborhoods.

The city will spend months listening to ideas about what offerings should be featured atop the cap.

The interstate displaced an estimated 1,400 North Nashvillians, demolishing 100 city blocks.