Concord receives grant in bid to improve traffic safety

The $7.9M will go toward ambitious zero-deaths plan

The city of Concord is celebrating a major win after securing nearly $8 million in transportation grants from the California Department of Transportation for a largescale street lighting and safety improvement project.

The grant allocation is the largest awarded to any single Bay Area government agency, the city said in a press release, and is part of Caltrans' $225 million effort to reduce traffic deaths and serious injuries on city and county roads.

In Concord, the funding will be used to install new lighting, upgrade existing street and intersection lighting, install pedestrian countdown signals, modify signal phasing and install new traffic signs to alert motorists to pedestrian crossings and are designed to improve pedestrian safety. Funds will also go toward upgrading uncontrolled crosswalks and install additional bicycle safety improvements.

Mayor Laura Hoffmeister expressed gratitude to Caltrans for recognizing the value of these projects to enhance safety in Concord, saying “We are proud to partner with Caltrans to prioritize the safety of our residents and visitors.”

Over the past year, Concord has been successful in securing additional transportation safety-related grants. The city received $4.19 million from the One Bay Area Grant program, $2.8 million from the Active Transportation Program/Caltrans, $632,000 from Congress and $183,000 from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.

These funds will be used to support a variety of transportation safety projects, including the Willow Pass Bike Lane Connector, Citywide Bike Lane Enhancements, and the Galindo Street Multimodal Project.

New signal timing will be installed on Clayton Road, Galindo/Monument corridors and Treat Boulevard.

“This funding represents a significant investment in the implementation of Concord's Local

Roadway Safety Plan, which includes various components toward the goal of achieving zero severe and fatal injuries by 2033,” Hoffmeister said.

In August 2022, Concord created a plan to improve the safety of its roads by identifying dangerous areas and figuring out ways to make them safer. This plan specifically looked at corridors where drivers frequently caused serious injuries to pedestrians. After identifying the accident-prone areas, Concord was able to get funding to make improvements that would help protect pedestrians and bicyclists.