Interest Spikes for Active Transportation Grants in Washington State

Applications for active transportation grant funding through a pair of Washington state programs more than doubled, in terms of funding requests, from 2020 to 2022.

1 minute read

September 6, 2022, 11:00 AM PDT

By James Brasuell @CasualBrasuell


Broadway Bike Lane

nickfalbo / Flickr

“After years of stagnating interest — and around $50 million available every two years — cities and counties across Washington have flooded the state with requests to build more and more ambitious projects for bicyclists, pedestrians and people traveling to and from schools,” reports David Kroman for the Seattle Times.

“In the 2022 legislative session, lawmakers set aside nearly $1.3 billion over 16 years for “active transportation,” geared toward walkers, bikers and children on their way to school. Of that, $568 million was earmarked for two grants — for routes to school, and bike and pedestrian projects,” explains Kroman.

More than $100 million is up for grabs, according to the article. When applications closed on May 30, the state had received applications for $457 million in funding. The grant applications in the last funding cycle, in 20202, totaled $191 million.

Kroman quotes local sources in the article who says some fo the increase in applications reflects the rising cost of construction, but some of it also might be a result of local governments “asleep at the wheel” on grant funding applications in the past.

The source article below contains numerous examples of the kinds of local projects seeking funding.

Thursday, September 29, 2022 in The Seattle Times

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Use Code 25for25 at checkout for 25% off an annual plan!

Redlining map of Oakland and Berkeley.

Rethinking Redlining

For decades we have blamed 100-year-old maps for the patterns of spatial racial inequity that persist in American cities today. An esteemed researcher says: we’ve got it all wrong.

May 15, 2025 - Alan Mallach

Interior of Place Versailles mall in Montreal, Canada.

Montreal Mall to Become 6,000 Housing Units

Place Versailles will be transformed into a mixed-use complex over the next 25 years.

May 22, 2025 - CBC

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

May 21, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Orange Los Angeles Metro bus passing on blurred street at night.

LA ‘Mobility Wallet’ Increased Quality of Life for Participants

The city distributed a monthly $150 transportation subsidy to 1,000 low-income Angelenos. It dramatically improved their lives.

1 hour ago - KTLA

White Shinkansen high-speed rail train passing on bridge over pond in Japan.

Texas, California Rail Projects Seek Out Private Funding

In the wake of Trump’s cuts to high-speed rail projects, rail authorities are looking to private-public partnerships to supplement their budgets.

3 hours ago - Smart Cities Dive

Aerial view of rural community of Kuttawa, Kentucky

Addressing Rural Homelessness in Kentucky

A Kentucky Lantern series focuses on the challenges unhoused Kentuckians face and efforts to provide support and assistance.

5 hours ago - WEKU