The United States Department of Transportation announced it awarded $82.6 million in road safety planning grants to 46 states.
“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,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said Oct. 27.
“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.”
“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,” said the DOT.
Deputy transportation secretary Polly Trottenberg said that DOT “is so excited to partner with communities all across the country to quickly and nimbly get these plans ready for action.”
Allocations include Rifle, Colo., a regional cattle ranching area along Interstate 70.
DOT is providing $120,000 to conduct a safety analysis to create an action plan to reduce fatalities and serious injuries.
Pasco County in Florida will receive $320,000 in federal dollars to fund a $400,000 safety action plan “to address the epidemic of transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries” on county roads, according to DOT.
“In 2023, Pasco County is one of the fastest-growing counties in the third-fastest-growing state in the country, and one of the most dangerous counties for all road users based on” the number of transportation-related crashes that resulted in fatalities and serious injuries, DOT said.
Rushville, Indiana, U.S. Route 52 and state roads 44 and 3 between Cincinnati and Indianapolis, will use 80% of its federal grant to complete a $984,500 road safety plan.
The area is experiencing a “rapid increase in volume of commercial traffic, and heavyweight freight vehicles have created safety issues for all road users in this area, namely commercial operators, motorists, local agricultural producers operating farm equipment and Amish community members using horse-and-buggies.”
