The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) announced $82.6 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.
This 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. Additional SS4A awards are expected to be announced in December, including 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 to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan.
■ The City of Deerfield Beach, Florida received $192,000 to test out a temporary build project in support of its Vision Zero Action Plan to inform how to increase safety, accessibility and mobility along a corridor.
■ The County of Kauai, Hawaii, received $200,000 to develop a new comprehensive safety action plan.
■ The Bangor Area Comprehensive Transportation System in Maine received $400,000 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.
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.
