Rails to Trails Conservancy Evaluation Finds Most Grant Awards Tackle Wants of Bicyclists and Pedestrians, and Many Fill Gaps in Energetic Transportation Networks That Present Equitable Mobility Choices for Rural, Suburban and City Locations
WASHINGTON—The newest spherical of FY 2024 U.S. Division of Transportation (USDOT) RAISE Grants reinforces the widespread demand for linked strolling and biking infrastructure that exists in rural, city and suburban communities throughout the nation, in line with an evaluation by Rails to Trails Conservancy, the nation’s largest trails and energetic transportation advocacy group.
Practically one quarter of all FY 2024 RAISE grants awarded (23.6%), totaling greater than $425 million, had been for initiatives fully centered on trails, strolling and biking, with many emphasizing infrastructure investments that might create extra connectivity inside neighborhoods and between areas. Sixty-four p.c of initiatives included components to help safer strolling and biking.
“Demand for linked strolling and biking infrastructure continues to develop for communities of all sizes and kinds on account of pressing wants to stop visitors crashes and enhance entry to financial alternatives,” stated Kevin Mills, RTC’s vp of coverage. “With every spherical of federal infrastructure grants, we proceed to see an inflow of initiatives that shut gaps in path and energetic transportation methods to create new connections and mobility choices for folks throughout the nation. These are the investments that make communities perform higher for everybody—vital enhancements that native leaders are championing and Congress is celebrating.”
Among the many awards had been a number of vital trail-network initiatives throughout the nation, that are creating new entry to protected routes the place folks can stroll, bike and be energetic outdoors, notably in underserved and traditionally deprived communities. In Washington D.C., $25 million will create new entry to the regional path community, and in Baltimore, a portion of a $15 million grant will likely be used to attach South Baltimore with the creating Baltimore Greenway Trails Community, a 35-mile path loop all through the town. The Metropolis of Waukesha, Wisconsin, acquired $1.1 million to design two key path bridges inside the regional Route of the Badger path community, addressing security considerations at freeway intersections. All three path networks are a part of RTC’s TrailNation™ initiative, a nationwide effort to catalyze path and energetic transportation networks for tens of millions of Individuals.
Searcy, Arkansas, secured $4.2 million to plan and design the Little Pink Greenway, linking Kensett to downtown Searcy as an enlargement to the present 5.5-mile Searcy Bike Path. And Sen. Patty Murray celebrated investments for Washington State trails that embody $25 million to shut the ultimate hole within the Eastrail regional path, creating 42 miles of strolling and biking entry that helps high quality of life and financial growth in King County.
This spherical of awards provides to the far-reaching help for trails, strolling and biking that has been demonstrated persistently by Congress and the USDOT below the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, together with FY 2023 RAISE grants supporting strolling and biking initiatives in 48 states and Washington, D.C., and the latest Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods grants, which included strolling and biking infrastructure in 85% of all awards.
Whereas these investments are vital, they proceed to fall wanting the full demand for linked active-transportation investments rising in rural, suburban and concrete communities throughout the nation. RTC’s analysis has discovered that greater than 150 path networks are creating nationwide, with a minimum of one in each state, necessitating a sustained, devoted federal funding supply to extra shortly transfer these initiatives ahead.
“The inflow of federal investments in these initiatives below the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation reveals a rising recognition by Congress and the USDOT of the importance of strolling and biking to help protected, reasonably priced and climate-friendly mobility. What’s missing, nonetheless, is the assure of constant funding over time {that a} devoted program would offer to make sure that gaps in these important infrastructure networks will likely be closed,” stated Mills. “We’re relying on Congress to channel their enthusiasm for these awards into an ongoing dedication to attach energetic transportation infrastructure by lastly funding the Energetic Transportation Infrastructure Funding Program in FY 2025 and past on the stage set by Congress of their final transportation invoice.”
Nationwide, RTC has seen plans amounting to greater than $10 billion of unmet want for initiatives that join energetic transportation networks. Based on RTC, fulfilling these plans can be transformative, with the potential to equitably ship financial, mobility, well being, security and local weather advantages. To appreciate these advantages, communities want sizeable grants—like those who RAISE can present—to shut gaps between current sidewalks, bike lanes and multiuse trails to create seamless strolling and biking routes that join the place folks reside and the locations they go routinely. Present discretionary and devoted federal applications ship vital investments for trails, strolling and biking, however many communities is not going to obtain their infrastructure targets with out dependable funding at ample scale that’s centered on energetic transportation. The far-reaching influence and demand for trails and different strolling and biking infrastructure requires applications that completely fund energetic transportation to make sure constant progress over time.
RTC is advocating for transformative insurance policies that enhance funding for energetic transportation and create accountability for progress on local weather, fairness and security targets, such because the Energetic Transportation Infrastructure Funding Program (ATIIP). This new program gives devoted funding for the planning and development of protected and linked active-transportation networks and long-distance backbone trails. This system was approved within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation, and RTC, Congressional champions and companions throughout the nation are persevering with to advocate for full program funding within the FY 2025 federal funds.
Study extra in regards to the demand for trails, strolling and biking infrastructure and obtainable federal funding at railstotrails.org/funding.
Rails to Trails Conservancy is the nation’s largest trails group—with a grassroots group greater than 1 million sturdy—devoted to constructing a nation linked by trails, reimagining public areas to create protected methods for everybody to stroll, bike and be energetic open air. Join with RTC at railstotrails.org and @railstotrails on Fb, Twitter and Instagram.
