The US Department of Transportation (DOT) has opened the process for counties, cities, towns, Tribal governments, and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPO) 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 (SS4A), created in President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to help communities both plan and carry out projects that help reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on our highways, streets, and roads.
The SS4A grant program is a major action that supports funding to advance the DOT’s National Roadway Safety Strategy. Launched in 2022 to address the high number of traffic deaths across the country, it aims to improve road safety.
SS4A funds will help communities develop road safety action plans and improve unsafe roadway corridors by implementing effective interventions. Additionally, recipients can use these funds to test 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,” said US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “The Biden-Harris administration is proud to make over $1.2 billion available for projects that can save lives on our roads, from highway redesigns to protected bike lanes, and we invite communities of every size to apply.”
Last year, DOT announced that more than 1,000 communities received $1.7 billion in grants under SS4A, impacting roadway safety for around 70 percent of the nation’s population and over 60 percent of traffic fatalities 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.
The application process for SS4A aims to be as easy as possible and increase accessibility to this program in this latest funding round, particularly for smaller communities, Tribal governments, and recipients new to federal funding. This includes multiple deadlines and a more extended application period for planning proposals, a pre-application review opportunity to determine eligibility before applying for implementation funding, and clarification about using Tribal Transportation Program funds as eligible for local match.
Applications may come from individual communities or groups of communities. They may include MPOs, counties, cities, towns, special districts, certain transit agencies, federally recognized Tribal governments, and multijurisdictional groups of eligible applicants.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All Notice of Funding Opportunity is available at https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A. Applications for Implementation Grants are by May 16. Planning and demonstration grant applicants will have three opportunities to apply with the deadlines of April 4, May 16, and August 29.
Stay tuned to Conduit Street for more information.
