By Charles Pekow — Not all federal support for bicycling has disappeared under the Trump administration. The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced nearly $1 billion in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants, funding 521 projects nationwide — including several in Mountain West states that aim to improve bicycle safety in high-crash corridors.
Among the recipients:
- Gallatin County, Montana received a Connecting Communities: Gallatin County Rural-Urban Multimodal Safety Initiative grant to build a 1.75-mile shared-use path along Huffine Lane. A bicyclist died on the corridor in 2022, where the speed limit reaches 55 mph and traffic averages 27,000 vehicles per day. Planners estimate a separated path will cut bicyclist and pedestrian injury risk by 65–89 percent. The grant will cover about $13.9 million of the project’s roughly $17.3 million cost.
- The Tahoe Transportation District secured funding for its South Demonstration Phase 1A Multimodal Path and Sidewalk Project. The district will construct a one-mile trail and sidewalk from Stateline Avenue/Lake Parkway to Laura Drive along U.S. 50, closing a gap between existing bike paths. Crews will also install curb ramps, lighting, and other safety features. Officials project the improvements will reduce crashes by 25–40 percent. Federal dollars will supply about $2.9 million of the $5.5 million budget.
- The Ramah Navajo Chapter in New Mexico won $200,000 to develop a $250,000 Safe Routes to School (SRS) plan. The effort will assess and recommend bicycle, pedestrian, and bus routes to schools across 250 miles.
- Moorcroft, Wyoming received $336,000 for an SS4A Planning and Demonstration Grant to create a $420,000 Action Plan. The plan will evaluate school crossings and recommend countermeasures to improve bicyclist safety as part of a Safe Routes to School strategy.
- Arizona State University earned funding for its Cooling the Commute: Heat SRS plan. The $100,000 grant will cover four-fifths of the cost of incorporating heat-risk analysis into Safe Routes to School planning in Casa Grande. The project will identify heat hot spots and deploy sensors to gather real-time data.
- Montana State University received $5 million for its $6.25 million Advancing Safer Roads and Streets in Rural Areas initiative. The multi-state project will include Safe Routes to School planning in Gallatin and Madison counties in Montana and in LaBelle, Florida, which faces similar rural safety challenges.
- The North Central New Mexico Economic Development District secured $471,813 for a $589,767 Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that includes Safe Routes to School components.
- Nibley City, Utah will use a $278,976 grant for its Nibley Pedestrian Crossing and Intersection Tactical Safety Improvements and Evaluation project. The $348,720 effort will deploy low-cost treatments at 14 locations, including bicycle counts, surveys, pedestrian beacons, and raised crosswalks.
Find the full list of awards here: https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/trumps-transportation-secretary-invests-1-billion-building-big-beautiful.
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