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Staff warns some federal grants are on hold; Complete Streets funding support to continue at state level
Summary
NVCOG staff said USDOT has placed awarded but nonexecuted grants on hold for review under the new administration, creating uncertainty for RAISE grants while PROTECT and state-backed Complete Streets support may be more likely to proceed.
NVCOG staff told the committee that the U.S. Department of Transportation had placed awarded but non‑executed grants on hold for review under the current administration, delaying disbursement of some federal projects and creating uncertainty for local planning.
“The new administration has put all awarded but nonexecuted grants on hold for further review,” a NVCOG staff member said, noting that RAISE projects were more at risk because the department’s stated priorities deprioritize projects that are primarily bicycle‑oriented. The staff member contrasted that with the PROTECT program, which focuses on resilience and infrastructure; NVCOG staff said they are cautiously optimistic PROTECT awards may be released this year.
Staff also reported ongoing coordination among several regional planning organizations to create an inventory and resilience improvement plan for road and stream crossings not on state roads; the Connecticut DOT is preparing a similar inventory for state roads. Staff urged communities to prepare inventory materials to make future applications stronger if more rounds of PROTECT or similar programs become available.
Committee members discussed whether Complete Streets policies still help in competitive grant cycles. Staff advised that Connecticut programs and state grants will likely continue to favor Complete Streets approaches even if certain federal discretionary programs deprioritize bicycle‑focused projects.
Staff said they are engaged with the state DOT and congressional delegation to press for release of funds but warned timing and alignment with federal priorities are outside NVCOG control.
