First Mile/Last Mile Connections Grants
First Mile/Last Mile Connections Grants support communities with connecting transportation services, access facilities and incentives that help people reach fixed-route public transportation.
Funder: Washington State Department of Transportation
Funding Amounts: Historical awards: $1 million across three projects in 2019–2023; individual awards of $111,000–$495,000
Summary: Supports projects that improve first- and last-mile connections to fixed-route public transportation.
Key Information: Projects must help people connect with fixed-route public transportation services.
Description
The Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) administers First Mile/Last Mile Connections Grants in partnership with the Transportation Demand Management Technical Committee. The program supports projects that help people reach fixed-route public transportation, including buses, ferries, rail, water taxis, tribal transit and rideshares.
Supported work includes coordinating connecting transportation options, improving access facilities, and providing incentives and information. Strategies range from linking shuttles and demand-response services with public transportation to installing bicycle lockers, adding pavement striping, subsidizing transit passes, conducting public education and managing parking. Past projects include a demand-responsive microtransit connection for an underserved Bellevue neighborhood, Tacoma’s Trail to Transit Connector, and pedestrian facilities connecting to Yakama Nation tribal transit.
