Biden-Harris Administration Announces Roadway Safety Planning Grants to over 200 Communities in 46 States and Puerto Rico

Friday, October 27, 2023

Contact: pressoffice@dot.gov

Biden-Harris Administration Announces Roadway Safety Planning Grants to over 200 Communities in 46 States and Puerto Rico

With this investment from President Biden’s infrastructure law, communities can plan safety projects championed by local leaders and residents

WASHINGTON -- Today the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $86 million in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants to 235 regional, local and Tribal communities for planning and demonstration projects to improve safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. These funds will help communities develop safety action plans, inform improvements along corridors with safety issues, use “quick-build” strategies to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections and more. Helping communities plan and design safer streets is a key element of USDOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy to combat the crisis of deaths on our nation’s roads. While NHTSA estimates show a fifth straight quarter of declines in roadway deaths, the fact is tens of thousands of people die each year on America’s roads, which is why President Biden’s infrastructure law includes unprecedented funding for safety improvements.

“Whether it’s a dangerous intersection or highway, or a need for better bus and bike lanes, no one can better pinpoint a community’s safety needs than the people who actually live and work there,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “In the past five years, the communities we are awarding these grants to experienced nearly 14,000 roadway deaths. To help change that unacceptable reality, we are proud to deliver this needed funding to help them address their unique safety needs and save lives.”

“I know from my time as Commissioner of New York City Department of Transportation that roadway safety projects save lives,” said U.S. Deputy Transportation Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “The Department is so excited to partner with communities all across the country to quickly and nimbly get these plans ready for action.”

Today is the first of two announcements for this round of the Safe Streets and Roads for All competitive grant program, and includes planning and demonstration grants. The second announcement is coming later this year and will include funding to implement safety improvements. In total, the SS4A grants are expected to provide hundreds of millions of dollars in funding investments in safety, provided directly to local communities.

A few of the communities and projects being funded by the awards announced today include:

• The Navajo Nation Division of Transportation received $1.44 million in Federal funds to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan. 
• The City of Deerfield Beach, Florida received $192,000 in Federal funds to test out a temporary build project along Southwest 3rd Avenue in support of its Vision Zero Action Plan to inform how to increase safety, accessibility and mobility along the corridor.
• The County of Kauai, Hawaii, received $200,000 in Federal funding to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan.
• The Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System in Maine received $400,000 in Federal funding to develop an action plan, and pilot temporary demonstration activities such as separated bicycle lanes, flashing beacons at a few key intersections, and modifications to lane delineations to inform action plan projects and strategies

The list of awards can be viewed here.

These awards reinforce the Department’s commitment to Pedestrian Safety Month, which DOT is hosting for the third time throughout October 2023. Pedestrian Safety Month activities included:

• Hosting informational webinars that highlight DOT resources and Allies in Action that committed to actions that support our vision of zero roadway fatalities
• Creating a web-story outlining pedestrian safety challenges and opportunities 
• Raising awareness of identified issues through communications such as Safety Advisory 23-1: Bus-to-Person Collisions. 

The Department is also adding 12 new commitments from organizations and businesses that are supporting the National Roadway Safety Strategy’s Call to Action, bringing the total number of commitments to 124.

Additional SS4A awards are expected to be announced in December. In the first year of the program, DOT awarded $800 million in grants to 511 communities, making SS4A one of the Department’s largest competitive programs in terms of discreet awardees. Applications for the next round of SS4A are anticipated to open in February of 2024. Federally-recognized Tribal governments that apply can use Tribal Transportation Funds for non-Federal match.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law more than doubled funding for surface transportation programs that improve roadway safety. This announcement joins a suite of roadway safety investments—including the $9 billion in funding that states have received through the Highway Safety Improvement Program and the $570 million in funding that will improve safety at over 400 rail crossings across the country. 

To read more about the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, including the Safe System Approach, click HERE.

 

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