Leo PortalThe U.S. Department of Transportation recently ( US DOT ) announced $82.6 million in grants under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, aiming to enhance road safety across 235 regional, local, and ethnic communities. These grants, allocated to initiatives like guarded bike lanes and curb extensions, seek to address the pressing issue of traffic fatalities, which reached a 16-year high in 2021 according to U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen. The initiative, established by the 2021 infrastructure law, prioritizes projects that align with safety action plans and quick-build strategies.
Notable recipients of the latest round of grants include Deerfield Beach, Florida, which received $192,000 to enhance safety along Southwest 3rd Avenue, and the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System in Maine, awarded $400,000 to implement short-term demonstration projects. The largest individual grant, amounting to $9.92 million, was awarded to the Maryland City Department of Transportation for piloting quick-build Complete Streets projects and installing sensors to track transportation modes.
These grants mark the first of two rounds for the fiscal year 2023, with further opportunities expected in the coming months. Interested parties can anticipate the opening of applications for the next round in February.
US DOT Announces Road Safety Grants Under Safe Streets and Roads for All Program
Under the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced $ 82.6 million in grants and to 235 regional, local, and ethnic communities on Friday.
Funds will be used to test features like guarded bike lanes or curb extensions as part of efforts to increase road safety, including safety action plans and quick-build strategies.
According to a press release from the transportation department, this announcement is the first of two rounds of Safe Streets and Roads for All grants for the fiscal year 2023, with the following announcement scheduled for December.
Traffic Fatalities Remain High Despite Efforts: Impact of Infrastructure Law’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Program
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, roughly 43, 000 people perished in traffic accidents in 2022. The number of fatalities remained higher than any year since 2005, despite a moderate decline from the previous year.
In an email praising the awards announcement, U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen, D-Wash., stated that” traffic fatalities hit a 16-year higher in 2021—a crisis on our shared streets for pedestrians and cyclists in certain.”
The 2021 infrastructure law, which allocated$ 5 billion over a five-year period starting in 2022, established the Safe Streets and Roads for All voluntary grant program. The DOT gave$ 800 million for street safety in the first year of the program.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Grants: Examples of Projects Across the U.S.
A representative sample of the latest round’s awards included:
- In support of its Vision Zero Action Plan, Deerfield Beach, Florida, received$ 192, 000 to test a momentary construction project along Southwest 3rd Avenue. The city wants to know how to make the corridor safer, more approachable, and more mobile.
- A$ 400 000 grant was given to the Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System in Maine so that it could create an action plan and begin short-term demonstration projects like isolated bicycle lanes and flashing beacons at a few crucial intersections.
- To pilot quick-build Complete Streets projects andnbsp in areas with high rates of traffic fatalities and serious injuries, pilot temporary lane and street closures along the Baltimore Greenway Trails Network once per month for six months, and install sensors for one year at key intersections to track transportation modes and different information, the Maryland City Department of Transportation was awarded a$ 9.92 million grant—the largest individual grant in this round.
In February, applications for the following round of Safe Streets and Roads for All grants are anticipated to open.
