Trump transportation department pulls trail and bike grants deemed 'hostile' to cars

The Trump administration’s Department of Transportation has begun pulling back recreational-trail and bike grants awarded under the Biden-era infrastructure law, labeling several projects as “hostile to motor vehicles” and saying they do not promote road capacity.

The letters, sent to local governments in at least six states — Alabama, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Massachusetts and New Mexico — informed officials that money announced under the $1.1 trillion infrastructure law would not move forward. The reversals represent one of the clearest signals yet of a policy shift from the Biden administration’s emphasis on safe routes for walking and biking toward a priority on preserving and expanding lanes for cars and trucks. While the administration has rolled out new grants this year reflecting that change, reversals of previously announced awards are unusual, particularly when the grants were not fully funded.

Connecticut won a $5.7 million federal grant last summer to help design segments of a 44-mile (71-kilometer) recreational trail connecting several communities along the Naugatuck River. Rick Dunne, executive director of the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, said the grant’s final details were being negotiated when the U.S. Department of Transportation sent a letter this month to inform local officials that the project wouldn't move forward. The agency wants “multimodal grant programs” to focus on “projects that promote vehicular travel,” Dunne said. “They're defining quality of life for Americans as enhancing automobile operations,” Dunne said.

The Albuquerque, New Mexico, project was among the first active transportation efforts funded under the infrastructure law, with $11.5 million announced in 2022, but it was still moving through the approval process when the letters arrived. Mayor Tim Keller said in a statement that the city would defend the project in court, adding, “We will see you in court.” Rails to Trails Conservancy policy vice president Kevin Mills called the cuts “an affront to the priorities set by Congress and Americans’ demands for safer, more convenient walking and biking routes.”

In Boston, a $20 million grant awarded in 2022 to transform three streetscapes was withdrawn in part because the plan included electric-vehicle charging stations, a feature the department said conflicted with its aim to promote “traditional forms of energy and natural resources,” the Boston Globe reported. A small-scale project in San Diego County, California, to test safety improvements on a single block was also flagged as “hostile to motor vehicles,” in part over a plan to replace signals with roundabouts and other traffic-calming features. County officials said the project would have expanded to other locations if successful, but the letter halted further steps.

McLean County, Illinois, also had federal funding recalled to design the final 9-mile segment of a bike and pedestrian trail along Route 66. County engineer Jerry Stokes said the project would have kept bicyclists and pedestrians off the roadway and improved safety, but he noted that it would not affect ordinary auto travel. “We're kind of at a standstill now until new funding sources become available,” he said.

The reversals reflect a broader policy shift in federal transportation funding toward promoting vehicular travel and road capacity, a move critics say undercuts local planning for safer and more connected communities. The DOT has not commented publicly on the scope of the policy change beyond the letters, and its press office did not respond to requests for comment.

The grants at issue were authorized under the bipartisan infrastructure law enacted by Congress in 2021, which remains the source of funding for many state and local projects. Some projects had not reached fully funded grant agreements, which made reversal easier, officials said, and the latest actions could complicate future funding plans for communities that hoped to build trails and multimodal facilities.

Advocates for safer routes expressed concern about the pullbacks. Mills said the changes threaten long-held community plans to expand walking and biking options, and Dunne said the DOT’s stance risks delaying regional efforts along the Naugatuck River.

As the policy shift unfolds, several local leaders have vowed to pursue next steps within the bounds of the law, while officials in other communities monitor the situation and reassess funding strategies.