A paved, mostly flat path connecting Western Washington may be intended for everyone’s use, but it could cost cities their autonomy, and citizens their civil rights.

A massive grant for the long-awaited Puget Sound to Pacific Trail (PS2P), a paved multi-use path with entrances on Bainbridge Island and Kingston that will end in La Push on the Olympic Peninsula, may come with very serious strings attached if a federal judge rules in favor of the Trump administration.

On Sept. 3, Kitsap County joined a lawsuit led by King County that alleges that the Trump administration is trying to force localities to adopt policies aligned with its agenda in exchange for grant funding: King County v. Turner.

The case argues that these conditions are post hoc, unconstitutional and exceed executive authority because they fall outside the scope of what Congress authorized, per the Public Rights Project, a civil rights legal group specializing in local governance.

Kitsap News Group acquired a document that outlines several new clauses added to the PS2P project’s grant award from 2023, which earmarked $16.3 million to reimburse planning and design work by 13 different municipalities along the 200-mile paved trail.

Mandates include that participating cities cooperate with and not impede Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE); end participation in diversity, equity and inclusion programs (DEI) and affirmative action laws; and comply with transphobic legislation, as well as any other executive orders that may pertain to the project.

In order to receive the funding, the 13 municipalities and agencies listed on the grant — the cities of Port Angeles, Bainbridge Island, Poulsbo, Sequim, Forks, and Port Townsend; Jefferson, Clallam and Kitsap Counties; the Quileute and Suquamish Tribes; the Port of Port Townsend and the state Department of Transportation — must agree to adopt the updated language.

“[BI city] council has not yet deliberated on whether to accept the new grant conditions. So, I cannot speak for the full council. But I can speak for myself. That is, as much as I badly want to see more bike paths on Bainbridge Island and a stream restored, my reply to the federal administration’s authoritative demands is a ‘Hard no,’” said BI City Councilmember Joe Deets. “That, unequivocally, I will not bend the knee to their attempt to harm innocent people on Bainbridge Island.”

It’s not yet clear to Kitsap leaders whether the municipalities will have to come to a consensus in order to receive the funding. However, the necessity of federal dollars to complete the project is obvious, explained BI Parks and Trails Foundation director Mary Meier.

BIPTF, along with North Kitsap Trails Association and the Peninsula Trails Conservancy, was instrumental in coordinating the 13-agency grant for the PS2P.

“This is a national trail rail trail from Washington, DC to La Push, and it will take federal dollars to advance it. We recognized that to complete the section through the island (where we have no existing rail infrastructure), it would take federal dollars,” said Meier.

David Forte, transportation policy and planning analyst at Kitsap County, explained that because the issues raised are part of active litigation, the county is unable to comment, though it “will continue to review any requested amendments to agreements in accordance with applicable law and the court’s orders.”

The PS2P is the westernmost part of the Great American Rail Trail, a national project that, when complete, will be the nation’s first cross-country multi-use trail. It will stretch 3,700 miles between Washington D.C. and Washington state, mostly following defunct railroad routes turned into paved paths.

Trail construction is still patchwork.

As of 2025, the national project is just over halfway complete, per the Rails to Trails Conservancy, with about 1,689 miles to go. Washington’s contribution — a total of 521.1 miles — is about three-quarters of the way done, with about 128 gap miles. Chunks of the Kitsap portion of the PS2P, the Sound to Olympics Trail, are included in those gap miles.

At a Sept. 15 cycling event on the Sound to Olympics Trail for policymakers, Poulsbo Mayor Becky Erickson stressed the importance of the collaborative nature of the trail.

“This trail is essential to connecting our communities and providing a safe, separated route from vehicles,” Erickson said. “The planning work being done today for the Sound to Olympics Trail will benefit generations to come, linking our communities and furthering sustainable transportation.”

Cities on the Kitsap Peninsula are working to connect the STO, but without funding, progress is slow.

The first section of the STO on Bainbridge is a mile long, ending at High School Road and Highway 305; it picks back up again in Poulsbo, where several sections are underway. Diane Lenuis, Poulsbo Public Works director, explained that most of the STO through Poulsbo is already built; however, losing funding could throw a wrench into other planned sections.

“Since our funding was for planning, it doesn’t impact planned construction for the STO, but does impact answers to alignment and feasibility questions. This ultimately could delay creation of a connection to downtown Poulsbo if funding does not remain,” said Lenuis.

So far, preliminary injunctions have put the conflict between the local and federal agencies on ice.

The district court has issued two different pauses, each of which prevents the Trump administration from enforcing the contested grant conditions, canceling awarded funds or forcing local governments to formally agree to the conditions in order to receive grants.

However, the list of municipalities that are feeling pressure to act is growing, and more have joined the lawsuit as plaintiffs to avoid upcoming deadlines to agree to the new grant conditions or lose funding.

On Nov. 10, six Washington municipalities — including Thurston County and the cities of Tacoma, Spokane, Port Angeles, Olympia and Bothell — asked to join King County v. Turner, bringing the total count of plaintiffs to 75.

“No community should have to choose between essential services and its values,” said founder and CEO of Public Rights Project Jill Habig. “Our growing coalition underscores how these illegal funding conditions are hurting our cities. Together, we’re fighting to protect both local power and the well-being of millions of people.”