Communities in 13 states will received nearly $44.5 million in grants for projects that connect communities to biking and walking, as well as access to public transit, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration said Tuesday.
The grants, part of the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (ATIIP) will be used to plan, design and construct projects for connected networks leading to destination, the FHWA said.
“Through the Active Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program, communities across the country are making safe and accessible active transportation options a reality,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said. “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.”
Part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the ATIIP provides funding for state, local and Tribal governments, as well as metropolitan and regional planning organizations, to use on connected active transportation networks that connects schools, workplaces, transit and other destinations within a community or metropolitan region, officials said. The money can be used for projects to plan, design and construct “transportation spines” that serve as a backbone within a network to connect two or more communities, metropolitan regions or states, according to the FHWA.
“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,” Acting Federal Highway Deputy Administrator Gloria M. Shepherd said.
The grants includes $1.4 million for the Santa Ynez Band of Chumash Indians for the Santa Ynez Valley Active Transportation Regional Connector; $1.2 million for the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission for its “Reimagining the 110” project; and $10.5 million for the city of Detroit to construct a portion of the Joe Louis Greenway.