Drawbridges are bad.
Pretty buzzwordy so tough to say if it would win the grant. It would help out the casino and I imagine you would get a fair amount of usage from employees and customers.
Making a better case to win the grant? Use the buzzwords.
Connecting Assembly to the Gateway Center makes a better case for economic competitiveness than the casino does, even now with all the box stores. If it was developed better - as I've heard it will be - the casino focused case gets weaker. It can be easily argued that casinos do not contribute to quality of life as their business model is frankly making people poorer.
Transportation linkage? Also a better case for improvements for Gateway Center workers who only have 1 regular bus and an alternate partial route. The casino already has 3 regular busses dropping off out front. Also, realigning to allow for a future Urban Ring or Silver line connection stop on the trail, or if we're going big speculation, when we turn commuter rail into rapid transit with regional rail there could be room for a stop for that as well.
If I was writing the grant application I would keep the casino out of it. It's not a good thing to a lot of people. As much as I would love to see the people working at the casino using the bridge I would not make that one employer the focus when there are the employees of 20 businesses in the Gateway Center in more need for everything the grant describes.
For environmental sustainability, I'd also suggest not using concrete as it is not very environmentally sustainable. I'd favor something simpler, cheaper and better that would be paid for entirely by the grant, possibly building a semi-buoyed causeway from the east side rising to a bridge to clear the lock boat traffic, all constructed with less destructive/recycled materials. Rising sea level awareness? Check. Environmental connection? Check. Chance of people jumping to a concussed watery death? Much lower. Also, probably not as windy closer to the water.
The most innovative thing is showing how you are scoping for improvements to come, not building a big concrete schlong because you can.
Build to the terms of the grant, don't try to jam a square peg into a round hole.
I can't be the only one who thinks there isn't massive room for improved thinking here.