Active Transportation infrastructure is good for Ohio because it moves traffic by taking cars off the road. Active transportation provides more choices for how Ohioans get around in their daily lives without relying on a car; supports in-demand vibrant neighborhoods; and offers cost-effective mobility options, for both individuals and the state, all while helping to promote active lifestyles, improved health, and decreased congestion on roadways.
Active Transportation In Ohio
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Grant Opportunities
Additional Resources
Examples of Active Transportation in Ohio
Columbus’ Summit Street Cycle Track
The City of Columbus constructed the city’s first protected bike lane in more than 30 years on a major arterial roadway connecting the University District with the downtown business district. The project, stalled for many years, was revived when a planned resurfacing project by the state DOT renewed interest in the corridor.
Through our analysis, we hope to show how other communities can replicate the cycle track design in order to help to promote more active transportation use in communities across Ohio.
Bexley City-Wide AT Investment
Over the past two decades, the City of Bexley, a land-locked community completely surrounded on all sides by the City of Columbus, with three major east/west routes serving as the main artery roads in the city, has invested significantly in cycling and pedestrian infrastructure to make the community safer for road users of all types and modes.
Our analysis takes a look at the role planning played in executing a multi-step plan to develop multiple bike/ped improvements throughout the city, many of which have been completed (with more still to come).
Xenia Adds Protected Bike Lane, Ped Improvements To Connect Regional Trails
Xenia, Ohio is located about 20 miles southeast of Dayton. This city of 25,000 is home to four regional bike trails1 (depicted by the colored lines on the map below). These four trails see 5,500 users per day who spend $16 million in the region each year (Friends of Xenia Station). Until 2017, none of the trails connected through Xenia’s downtown.
This trail infrastructure is a significant asset for the region. However, without a safe route into Xenia’s downtown, the struggling district was missing out on potential economic benefits from the thousands of daily trail users.
On our good ideas page, you can learn more about the work involved in developing this important trail connection throughout the city core, and how other communities in Ohio can replicate this work which presents safety and economic benefits for the entire community.
Summit Street Cycle Track in the University District of Columbus, Ohio. Image via Google Maps.
Main Street in Bexley, Ohio. Image via Google Maps.
Downtown Xenia’s protected bike lane along S. Detroit Street.
Have examples of AT Infrastructure in your community you want to share? Send images and descriptions to Jason Warner via email.
Active Transportation Newsletter
GOPC began an email series in early 2023 to help promote, develop, and implement more Active Transportation (AT) infrastructure throughout Ohio.
GOPC’s goal with these emails is to amplify high-quality AT work happening around the state, ensure widespread awareness of existing funding programs for AT, and support policies and programs that will lead to even more AT and transit investment in Ohio.
Active Transportation Funding Opportunities
State Grant Opportunities
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The Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) provides funding for projects defined as transportation alternatives, including on- and off-road pedestrian and bicycle facilities, infrastructure projects for improving non-driver access to public transportation and enhanced mobility, community improvement activities, and environmental mitigation; recreational trail program projects; and safe routes to school projects.
Grant applications are currently closed.
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The Ohio Department of Transportation is accepting applications for the Safe Routes to Schools Program.
Grant applications are currently closed.
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ODOT’s Highway Safety Program is a a new systemic safety improvement program with a focus on preventing injuries related to pedestrian and roadway departure crashes. Systemic improvements are meant to be proactive and widely implemented based on roadway features that have been associated with specific crash types. FHWA has identified a range of proven countermeasures that prevent pedestrian and roadway departure crashes, and ODOT wants to encourage project applications that focus on the implementation of these improvements.
Grant applications are currently closed.
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Local governments and political subdivisions can utilize ODOT’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Improvements Purchasing Contract to acquire bicycle and pedestrian safety countermeasures included in the contract including roadway markers, signage, flex posts, and more. Agencies can participate if they’re a part of the Cooperative Purchasing Program through the Ohio Department of Administrative Services.
The purpose of this contract is to help local governments to implement various infrastructure improvements dealing with bicycle and pedestrian safety countermeasures. The contract is for maintenance of and additions to existing infrastructure. Each item is priced for standard (90 days), rush (60 days), and expedited (30 days) completion. Once the work order is processed, the contractor will have that much time to complete the work.
The new 149-24 purchasing contract covers many items related to quick-build pedestrian and bicycle improvements. Not all items were bid on, so not everything listed is available, but some of the materials available to agencies include: crosswalk and advance yield markings and signage, bike lane and bike box striping, RRFB installation, no turn on red signs, speed cushions, and flex post and parking curb installations for protected bike lanes.
This purchasing contract opportunity is now available through November 30, 2025.
Federal Grant Opportunities
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RAISE Discretionary Grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation are now available and accepting applications for transportation projects with significant local or regional impacts.
Grant applications are currently closed.
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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
There are three funding application deadlines for 2024.
Planning and Demonstration Grant applications are due on April 4, 2024, May 16, 2024, and August 24, 2024, all at 5:00PM EDT.
Implementation Grant applications are due to USDOT by May 16, 2024 at 5:00PM EDT.
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ATIIP is a new competitive grant program created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. ATIIP will award two types of grants: Planning and Design grants and Construction grants. FHWA will award Planning and Design grants for eligible applicants to develop plans for active transportation networks and active transportation spines. Projects seeking Planning and Design grants must have planning and design costs of at least $100,000 to be eligible.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the March of 2024.
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Three programs, the National Infrastructure Project Assistance Grant (MEGA), the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highways Projects Grants (INFRA) and the Rural Surface Transportation Grant (RURAL) have been combined to form the Multimodal Project Discretionary Grant (MPDG).
These grants are awarded on a competitive basis for surface transportation infrastructure projects – including highway and bridge, intercity passenger rail, railway-highway grade crossing or separation, wildlife crossing, public transportation, marine highway, and freight projects, or groups of such projects – with significant national or regional impact, or to improve and expand the surface transportation infrastructure in rural areas.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the spring of 2024.
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The Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods Grant Program (RCP) is the first-ever Federal program dedicated to reconnecting communities that were previously cut off from economic opportunities by transportation infrastructure. Funding supports planning grants and capital construction grants, as well as technical assistance, to restore community connectivity through the removal, retrofit, mitigation, or replacement of eligible transportation infrastructure facilities.
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The Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) program is an existing competitive program that will see a more than 50 percent increase in this year’s funding due to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These grants advance the USDOT priorities of rebuilding America’s infrastructure and creating jobs by funding highway, multimodal freight and rail projects that position America to win the 21st century. Projects will improve safety, generate economic benefits, reduce congestion, enhance resiliency, and hold the greatest promise to eliminate supply chain bottlenecks and improve critical freight movements. Last year, DOT received over $27 billion in application requests, but could only fund around $1.5 billion of projects. $3.1 billion in grants are available in 2023, with a minimum of $5 million and a max of $1.29 billion.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the summer of 2024.
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National Infrastructure Project Assistance (MEGA) program was created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to fund major projects that are too large or complex for traditional funding programs. The program will provide grants on a competitive basis to support multijurisdictional or regional projects of significance that may also cut across multiple modes of transportation. Eligible projects could include highway, bridge, freight, port, passenger rail, and related public transportation projects of national and regional significance. DOT will award approximately 50 percent of funding to projects greater than $500 million in cost, and approximately 50 percent to projects greater than $100 million but less than $500 million in cost. A total of $1.8 billion is available in 2023 through the MEGA program, with no award minimum and a maximum of $1 billion.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the summer of 2024.
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The Rural and Tribal Assistance Pilot Program provides a total of $3.4 million in grants to provide financial, technical, and legal assistance to states and rural and tribal communities. The grants are intended to increase organizational capacity in communities that may not have resources available to evaluate and develop projects that qualify for federal funding and financing programs. Grants reimburse expenses incurred to hire third-party advisory firms to assist with project development. The floor for grants is $10,000 and the maximum grant allowed is $360,000.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the summer of 2024.
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The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) discretionary grant program with $100 million appropriated annually for fiscal years (FY) 2022-2026.
The SMART program was established to provide grants to eligible public sector agencies to conduct demonstration projects focused on advanced smart community technologies and systems in order to improve transportation efficiency and safety.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the fall of 2024.
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Funded with an initial $25 million through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) new Thriving Communities Program (TCP) aims to ensure that disadvantaged communities adversely or disproportionately affected by environmental, climate, and human health policy outcomes have the technical tools and organizational capacity to compete for federal aid and deliver quality infrastructure projects that enable their communities and neighborhoods to thrive. Recognizing the importance of this transformative new program, Congress appropriated an additional $25 million to USDOT through the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023.
TCP facilitates the planning and development of transportation and community revitalization activities and provides tools to ensure that under-resourced communities can access the historic funding provided in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the fall of 2024.
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Approximately $13 million is available to fund local comprehensive or site-specific planning to support housing and other investments near transit hubs to promote sustainable, livable, and equitable communities through the Pilot Program for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD). Special consideration will be given to applications that improve air quality, advance environmental justice, support unhousing populations, and promote housing affordability.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity and webinar about the program should be available in the fall of 2024.
Additional Resources
Walk.Bike.Ohio Statewide Bike and Pedestrian Plan
As a policy plan, Walk.Bike.Ohio will guide policies, programs, and investments in infrastructure to improve walking and biking, but does not recommend specific infrastructure projects.
Ohio Department of Transportation AT Academy
The Active Transportation Academy (ATA) is a resource for building capacity and expertise on active transportation topics, educating practitioners, decision makers, and partners, and helping your community reach its active transportation goals. The ATA provides trainings, workshops, e-Learning courses, and online resources on a variety of topics related to walking and biking.
The Devou Good Foundation Bike & Pedestrian Workshop Scholarship
The Devou Good Foundation is providing scholarships for the 2024 Bike and Pedestrian Workshop hosted by the Transportation Research and Education Center (TREC) located at Portland State University and the NACTO Designing Cities Conference in Miami.
Recent Testimony from GOPC
About the Greater Ohio Policy Center
GOPC is a statewide, non-partisan advocacy organization with a vision of a revitalized Ohio. We work with communities throughout Ohio to share and promote best practices that support sustainable development. We have a reputation at the Ohio statehouse for being pragmatic and data-driven.
Transportation policy is of particular interest to us because roads and highways shape the places where Ohioans live. We have recently served on the Access Ohio 2045 and Walk.Bike.Ohio Advisory Committees and are working to support efforts to build more AT and transit infrastructure around the state.
Public comments submitted to the Transportation Review Advisory Council (TRAC) regarding the 2024-2027 Major New Construction Draft Program List on Friday, February 16, 2024.