Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program awards over $15 million for active transportation improvements

OLYMPIA – The Washington State Department of Transportation is totaling $15.8 million to support the planning, design and implementation of active transportation projects across the state.

These projects are part of the Sandy Williams Connecting Communities Program, named for the late Black community organizer who worked to reconnect her East Central neighborhood in Spokane after the construction of Interstate 90 split the community in half.

Program grants help communities develop and build infrastructure that enable safer walking, biking and rolling along and across current and former state highways while reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This spans everything from constructing sidewalks, bike paths and biking trails to developing community engagement processes. The program, now in its third year, prioritizes communities and tribes most affected by environmental health disparities and by barriers to opportunity.

“This program is the embodiment of our Active Transportation Plan (PDF 18.7MB),” said Active Transportation Division Director Barb Chamberlain, referencing the award-winning statewide framework for expanding and improving facilities for walking, biking and rolling. “To build and maintain a transportation system that serves everyone, we have to fund safe active travel where people need it most.”

The program is already seeking suggestions for its fourth round of funding. Interested communities may submit applications through Sept. 19, 2025.

The program is fully funded by the Climate Commitment Act. SWCCP started as a pilot with $50 million over four years set to end in 2027. However, the state legislature made the program permanent and developed a dedicated funding source for it in the 2025-2026 legislative session. The new funding sustains the program at $12.5 million per year into the future.

Awardees will work on projects such as: 

• A walking and biking trail to connect the rural communities of Twisp and Winthrop to their elementary school.
• Planning and community engagement to address safety and slow speeds on former state highways.
• Construction of community-centered infrastructure that improves access to the Apple Capital Loop Trail in Wenatchee.
• Traffic calming, lighting and safety improvements on a state highway that cuts through the Confederated Colville Tribes’ Nespelem community to support better connectivity to the tribal school.
• Infrastructure improving pedestrian and bicyclist safety, bike and small mobility access and regional connectivity to bus rapid transit stops in Vancouver.
• roadway and business development redesign improving safety and community connectivity along US-2 in Airway Heights, giving residents more travel options while creating jobs and boosting the local economy.

The 15 projects join the 26 previously awarded $21,611,000 over the program’s first two grant cycles.

In addition to SWCCP, the Active Transportation Division manages grant programs including Safe Routes to School and the Pedestrian Bicyclist Programs. Together, they have distributed more than $480 million to Washington communities since launching in 2005.