Grants for communities to improve roadway safety
The U.S. Department of Transportation has opened the process for cities, towns, counties, Tribal governments and Metropolitan Planning Organizations to apply for $1.256 billion in funding for local projects that improve roadway safety.
The funds are from the competitive grant program, Safe Streets and Roads for All. That was created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities both plan and carry out projects that help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on highways, streets, and roads.
The SS4A grant program is a major action that supports funding to advance the DOT’S National Roadway Safety Strategy, which launched in 2022 to address the high number of traffic deaths happening across the country.
SS4A funds will help communities in the development of road safety action plans and improve unsafe roadway corridors by implementing effective interventions. Additionally, these funds can be utilized to test out safety features such as separated bicycle lanes or curb extensions at intersections.
“Every community knows some intersection or stretch of road that is dangerous to approach – now we have an opportunity to make them safer,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a recent news release detailing the effort.
Last year, DOT announced more than 1,000 communities in total received $1.7 billion in grants under SS4A, impacting roadway safety for around 70% of the nation’s population and over 60% of traffic fatalities that occurred between 2017 and 2021.
With more than $1 billion available this year, the department encourages all interested communities to apply, especially communities that have not applied to date.
For Planning and Demonstration Grants, DOT has further encouraged communities with higher needs to apply by providing additional award consideration to those with higher fatality rates. The department compiled a non-exhaustive list of the cities and counties that meet that threshold online and will continue to support the information needs of these localities throughout the application period.