The Trump administration has initiated a comprehensive review of Washington State transportation projects that could result in the cancellation of millions in federal funding for bike lanes, pedestrian trails, and safety improvements deemed “hostile” to motor vehicles.
A U.S. Department of Transportation memo obtained by researchers directs officials to scrutinize all projects receiving federal grants since fiscal year 2022 for bike lanes, electric vehicle charging stations, and other “green infrastructure” that doesn’t align with the administration’s car-centric transportation priorities.
“The focus of this review is to identify project scope and activities that are allocating funding to advance climate, equity and other priorities counter to the Administration’s Executive Orders,” the memo states, targeting projects that reallocate road space away from vehicles.
Representative Rick Larsen (WA-2), ranking member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, warned that “four years’ worth of awarded projects” face potential delays or cancellation, with imperiled funding reaching “definitely in the double-digit millions” statewide.
Several major Washington projects now face uncertain futures. The Eastrail bridge over Interstate 90, awarded $25 million in federal funding last summer, represents the type of car-free infrastructure the administration opposes. The 42-mile trail will eventually connect Renton to Redmond and Snohomish County along a former BNSF rail line.
The Puget Sound to Pacific Trail, which received $16 million in 2023 to complete 200 miles spanning the Olympic Peninsula from ferry terminals in Kingston, Port Townsend, and Bainbridge Island to La Push, also faces potential funding loss.
Vicky Clarke, deputy director of Cascade Bicycle Club, identified these projects as “top of mind” concerns while noting threatened funding extends across the state. “There are projects in Spokane and in Yakima and of course in the Puget Sound region,” Clarke said, describing the funding as “upgrades to an old and outdated transportation system that we desperately, desperately need.”
Seattle’s bike infrastructure network faces particular vulnerability. The East Marginal Way South project received $20 million in 2021 for protected bike lanes connecting freight and bicycle infrastructure. The MLK Jr Way Safety Project, funded through multiple sources including federal grants, could face clawbacks if deemed to reduce vehicle capacity.
The federal review extends to communities statewide, with Safe Streets and Roads for All grants awarded to Mill Creek, Kelso, Sedro-Woolley, East Wenatchee, Pasco, Prosser, Electric City, and the Yakama Nation, among others.
The timing coincides with Washington’s traffic safety crisis, with 810 people killed in motor vehicle crashes statewide in 2023, a 33-year high. Nationally, 40,990 people died on roads last year.
“There’s a strict federal interest in preventing these deaths,” Larsen said. “Investing in sidewalks and bike infrastructure is about saving lives and is about safety.”
Washington State Department of Transportation spokesperson Stefanie Randolph declined to specify whether grant reviews have begun or estimate potential funding impacts. “We continue to seek clarification with (the Federal Highway Administration) and other partners about the implications and next steps related to federal funding actions,” Randolph said.
King County Metro has begun assessing impacts on its federal assistance, particularly regarding its 2035 goal to transition to fully electric buses. Spokesperson Al Sanders noted the agency is studying “how the current administration’s actions will support or hinder that transition.”
The administration has already canceled projects nationwide, including a $1.2 million San Diego County grant for bike lanes deemed to “reduce lane capacity,” and trail conversion projects in Alabama and Massachusetts for being “hostile to motor vehicles.”
Kevin Mills of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy noted the irony that demand for alternative transportation infrastructure is growing in Republican municipalities, not just liberal cities. “At the local level, there really isn’t that divide,” Mills said, citing Florida’s strong trail network plans despite being a red state.
Larsen has referred the administration’s memo to the Congressional Research Service for legal analysis, questioning whether it’s legal to rescind funding that’s “signed, sealed, delivered.”
“The Trump Administration’s attempt to ignore Congress and the law by slashing grants for bike and pedestrian infrastructure and EV charging is a direct attack on communities who were awarded funding to invest in safer, cleaner mobility solutions,” Larsen said.
The policy shift represents a fundamental departure from the “complete streets” approach that has guided federal transportation policy for over a decade, prioritizing vehicle throughput over safety redesigns and forcing local governments to choose between abandoning safety projects or finding alternative funding sources.
