Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding targets high-crash sites in cities and counties; also supports the
U.S. Department of Transportation’s comprehensive strategy to reduce roadway deaths, a crisis claiming more than 40,000 lives each year
Today, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, a record amount of funding to improve roads and address traffic fatalities. The City of Philadelphia will receive a grant of $30 million toward its $37.5 million application for its plan to construct safety improvements on North Broad Street (Cecil B. Moore to Allegheny) and Cecil B. Moore from 10th to 17th Streets, design safety traffic improvements for 8 High Injury Network corridors and an update to its Vision Zero Capital Plan.
Additionally, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) received $1.472 million to develop a Regional Vision Zero Action Plan from today’s grant announcement. Finally Medford Twp received a $200,000 grant to develop a Vision Zero Action Plan.
“Every year, crashes cost tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy; we face a national emergency on our roadways, and it demands urgent action,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud that these grants will directly support hundreds of communities as they prepare steps that are proven to make roadways safer and save lives.”
Philadelphia and DVRPC are among the 510 communities that received $800 million in grant awards announced by USDOT today. A list and map of all awards are here.
“By investing this level of construction funding into cities/communities that have Vision Zero plans in place, like Philadelphia, and planning grants for other communities, like the nine county region of Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, the federal government has finally made Vision Zero a national priority.” said Sarah Clark Stuart, Executive Director of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. “Mayor Jim Kenney made Vision Zero a policy priority in 2017 and the local investments he made over the past 5 years have now paid off with this $30 million grant, in addition to two others totaling over $130 million.”
In the last twelve months, Philadelphia has received $133 million dollars through 3 federal grants for Vision Zero projects.
- $25 million RAISE grant awarded in August 2022 for traffic calming improvements at seven locations in North, West & NE Philly
- $78 million MEGA award in January 2023 for traffic safety improvements along 12.3 miles of Roosevelt Boulevard
- $30 million Safe Streets and Road for All grant awarded February 1, 2023 for traffic safety improvements on North Broad & Cecil B. Moore.
In addition to SS4A grants, tomorrow the Federal Highways Administration will award a total of $21 million to 70 Tribes to improve road safety on Tribal lands, addressing issues such as roadway departures and the need for better pedestrian crossings.
For more information about SS4A, including additional resources and information for interested applicants and stakeholders, click HERE.
To read more about the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy, including the Safe Systems Approach, click HERE.
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