Webinar – Active Transportation Freeze: Where do Federal Active Transportation Grants Stand?
Since early 2025, RTC has tracked and reported decisions made by the White House and the US Department of Transportation regarding active transportation and advised trails, walking and biking advocates as they have endured whiplash, grant cancellations, and ongoing uncertainties about frozen federal transportation grants.
Congress rescinded $750 million in active transportation Neighborhood Access and Equity grants in July and the USDOT has canceled numerous trail, walking, and biking grants as part of its ongoing review that has left thousands of additional grants in limbo and potentially forced applicants to remove active transportation elements. Some localities have sued over cancellations, and many are still in the dark regarding the future of their active transportation grants.
Join RTC for an online dialogue about the state of play on federal grant decisions through programs like RAISE and Reconnecting Communities. During this discussion, RTC shared what we know, posed questions and invited local partners to share their experiences. Attendees heard from a representative from the City of Albuquerque about their cancelled RAISE grant and actions they are taking to restore this funding.
Resources
- If your community has been impacted by grant freezes or cancellations, or USDOT has asked you to change the scope or language in your previously awarded grant, we encourage you to share your story with isabelle@railstotrails.org.
- Learn more about the Albuquerque Rail Trail project: https://abqrailtrail.org/
- The first segment of the 7-mile loop opened last month: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/first-portion-rail-trail-opens-215948094.html
- RAISE Grant announcement: https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2022-08/RAISE-New%20Mexico-2022.pdf
- More information on the grant: https://localinfrastructure.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Albuquerque_NM-Raise-2023-case-study.pdf
- News article: City of Albuquerque sues Trump administration over canceled Rail Trail funding: https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/city-albuquerque-sues-trump-administration-041058356.html
- News Article: Feds to pull funding for Rail Trail project in downtown Albuquerque: https://www.kob.com/new-mexico/feds-to-pull-funding-for-rail-trail-project-in-downtown-albuquerque/
- More information on the Nashville lawsuit: https://www.selc.org/news/our-future-depends-on-frozen-federal-funding/
- See how Albuquerque is preparing for trail-oriented development – Jennifer was a panelist on a previous RTC webinar: https://www.railstotrails.org/resource-library/resources/trail-oriented-development-how-trails-create-connected-communities/
- Check out RTC’s toolbox page on working with opposition and neighbors: https://www.railstotrails.org/trail-building-toolbox/working-with-opposition-and-neighbors/
- To learn more about funding recissions and the threats to walking, biking and trails, read RTC’s recent blogs:
- “America’s Trails Are Under Fire” https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/americas-trails-are-under-fire/
- “The Very Real Challenges Facing America’s Trails” https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/the-very-real-challenges-facing-americas-trails/
- “Reconciliation Bill Claws Back Hundreds of Millions of Dollars for Trails, Walking and Biking” https://www.railstotrails.org/trailblog/reconciliation-bill-claws-back-hundreds-of-millions-of-dollars-for-trails-walking-and-biking/
- View RTC’s reauthorization agenda here: https://www.railstotrails.org/policy/reauthorization/
RTC’s TrailNation Collaborative, Trail Development and Policy teams produce a free webinar series designed to help trail professionals build, grow, manage, maintain, promote or otherwise support trails and trail networks. Sign up here to get webinar alerts.
Have a comment or question on our webinar series? Contact us below with topic or speaker ideas. We appreciate your feedback! Email us.
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