By Abbas Nazil
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has halted all discretionary grants allocated under the Biden administration for bike lanes and other green infrastructure projects while it conducts a project-by-project review for potential removal.
The decision, ordered by Transportation Secretary, Sean Duffy, was announced in a memo that cited five executive orders from the Trump administration, targeting diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) initiatives and efforts to reduce carbon emissions.
The review is aimed at identifying projects that prioritize climate action, equity, and sustainability, which the current administration considers contrary to its policy goals.
Specifically, DOT officials have been instructed to examine grants that focus on bicycle infrastructure, electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, and environmental justice initiatives. Projects still awaiting full funding allocation are particularly at risk of being scrapped.
This move disrupts the Biden administration’s previous efforts under former DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg, who used funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to advance sustainable transportation projects.
These funds supported bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly infrastructure, and multimodal transit options designed to reduce reliance on fossil fuels.
However, with Duffy at the helm and the Trump administration’s influence, the focus has shifted toward expanding fossil fuel-based transportation projects instead.
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The memo’s announcement sent shockwaves through the League of American Bicyclists’ annual “Bike Summit” in Washington, D.C., where attendees received an urgent email warning that all discretionary grants mentioning bike lanes or DEIA-related language were now under review.
The email urged advocates lobbying on Capitol Hill to closely examine affected grant lists and push back against the policy change.
Advocacy groups and lawmakers have strongly criticized the decision. Representative Rick Larsen, the ranking member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, condemned the halt as a violation of congressional intent, stating that it undermines infrastructure investments that communities across the country have planned for years.
Larsen emphasized that the administration’s action disrupts state and local efforts to improve road safety and mobility.
The League of American Bicyclists also issued a statement warning that the halt on safety projects would harm communities by preventing critical improvements, such as safer routes to school and commuter bike lanes.
The group pointed to Arkansas, where $176 million in road safety investments are now in jeopardy, and Mississippi, where $115 million could be lost.
They argued that these projects were not ideological but rather practical investments in public safety and infrastructure.
Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey added his voice to the backlash, issuing a brief but pointed statement opposing the decision.
Meanwhile, transportation policy experts and advocates fear that the administration’s shift in priorities will significantly undermine efforts to create more sustainable and equitable transportation systems nationwide.
