This week, 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.
California was among the states receiving grant funds.
“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.”
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.
“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.
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.
