Funding will improve safety for those biking, walking, and accessing transit in 13 states and Puerto Rico

FHWA 01-25
Contact: FHWA.PressOffice@dot.gov
Tel: (202) 366-0660

WASHINGTON – Today, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced $44.5 million in grant awards for communities in 13 states and Puerto Rico under its Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP). Authorized through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the grants will be used to plan, design, and construct projects for connected networks that lead to destinations and make communities safer for bikers and pedestrians while increasing access to public transit.

“Through the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, communities across the country are making safe and accessible active transportation options a reality,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “With the grants announced today—made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law—towns and cities in more than a dozen states will have funding in place to plan or construct infrastructure that allows people to safely walk, bike, and roll to schools, medical centers, jobs, and other destinations.”

“The grants we’re announcing today will expand connectivity in cities and towns large and small by removing obstacles to pedestrian and bicycle networks, especially in disadvantaged communities and areas where people rely on public transportation,” said Acting Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Gloria M. Shepherd.

States, local and Tribal governments, and metropolitan and regional planning organizations can use ATIIP grants to plan, design, or construct safe and connected active transportation networks such as sidewalks, bikeways, and trails that connect schools, workplaces, transit, and other destinations within a community or metropolitan region. Grants can also be used for projects to plan, design, and construct routes known as “transportation spines” that serve as backbones to connect two or more communities, metropolitan regions, or states.

FHWA issued a Fiscal Year 2023 Notice of Funding Opportunity under ATIIP in March 2024 that resulted in 352 applications requesting more than $1.8 billion in funding – far exceeding the amount available. The full list of projects being awarded ATIIP grants is available here.

Projects awarded funding include:

• California: The Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians will receive $1.4 million to plan and design the Santa Ynez Valley Active Transportation Regional Connector, an 8.7 mile active transportation spine that will fill gaps in the Valley’s active transportation network, adapt the region to expanding bike-tourism, and provide residents with safe access to schools, grocery stores, medical facilities, transit and other vital destinations.
• Massachusetts: The Merrimack Valley Planning Commission will receive nearly $1.2 million for its “Reimagining the 110” project, which will develop a strategic planning and design process for a 24-mile transportation spine in the upper portion of the Merrimack Valley connecting Methuen, Lawrence, Haverhill, Merrimack, and Amesbury to provide safe active transportation options that improve mobility, access, and connectivity.
• Michigan: The City of Detroit will receive $10.5 million to construct a portion of the Joe Louis Greenway (JLG), including a vital off-street segment of the greenway between Woodward Avenue and Dequindre Street on a former rail corridor now owned by the city. An active transportation network, the JLG is a 27.5-mile regional greenway connecting 23 Detroit neighborhoods to Dearborn, Hamtramck, Highland Park.
• Pennsylvania: The City of Philadelphia will receive nearly $13.7 million to close a critical gap in the Schuylkill River Trail by constructing the Wissahickon Gateway Trail and the Passyunk Connection adjacent to historically disadvantaged communities in the southwest section of the city, completing a 39-mile off-road, riverside, multi-use trail between Pottstown in Montgomery County and Southwest Philadelphia.
• Puerto Rico: The Puerto Rico Department of Transportation and Public Works will receive $2 million to plan and design an improved active transportation network in the Hato Rey neighborhood of San Juan which will include pedestrian and non-motorized connections linking jobs, schools, services, and recreational facilities to each other and the Tren Urbano rail system.
• Tennessee: The Metropolitan Government of Nashville-Davidson County will receive nearly $9.4 million for its “East Nashville Spokes” project that will connect a historically underserved neighborhood with the economic opportunities of downtown Nashville and the massive East Bank redevelopment by providing safe transportation options and connections across Interstate 24 and the Cumberland River.

The ATIIP discretionary grant program directly supports the U.S. National Blueprint for Transportation Decarbonization. The grants announced today also build on previous efforts by FHWA to support bicycling and pedestrian projects made possible under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, including the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program.

See more information on the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program. Additional FHWA resources for bicyclists, pedestrians and other road users can be found at Bicycle and Pedestrian Program and Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety.

# # #