The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has unveiled a $982.2 million investment in roadway safety as part of the latest tranche of awards through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.
A total of 521 projects will receive a share of the SS4A funding round, covering projects that improve intersection safety, upgrade sidewalks and tighten emergency response services. Once implemented, these initiatives will reduce roadway injuries and fatalities for pedestrians, bicyclists, transit users, motorists and truck drivers.
A selection of the projects receiving the largest amounts include:
The city of Huntsville, Alabama, will receive $21.4 million to build a cable-suspended pedestrian and bicycle bridge. The completed bridge, estimated to cost $46.6 million, will span 1,400 feet, remove at-grade crossings, add lighting and signage and connect to greenways. Additional work will support safety upgrades in the Meridian Education Corridor. A portion of the funds will go toward the development of a citywide Safe Routes to School plan and pilot intelligent transportation systems.
The city of Norman, Oklahoma, will spend $25 million to reconstruct and improve three miles of roadway – a project totaling $39.5 million in partnership with the city of Moore. The project will widen the roadway from two to four lanes while adding a 10-foot mixed-use trail on the east side and a 5-foot sidewalk on the west side.
The city plans to upgrade the stretch of roadway’s drainage system, relocate utilities and remove clear-zone hazards. Additional safety improvements include the addition of three signalized intersections with reflectorized ramps, targeted lighting and one high-intensity activated crosswalk.
Oklahoma City will receive $25 million to advance a $31.3 million project to install retroreflective backplates at 250 signals, corridor lighting on four miles of roadway and high-visibility crosswalks at 300 intersections. These upgrades will cover five corridors and five high-crash intersections. In addition, the city will update its ADA Transition Plan, implement measures to reduce speeding and assess facilities to prioritize improvements.
The city of Phoenix will use its $24.2 million award as part of a $30.2 million project to upgrade safety measures at six high-injury intersections and two dangerous corridors. Plans include rebuilding traffic signals with protected left-turn phasing and leading pedestrian intervals. In addition, the city will install a pedestrian hybrid beacon at a crossing, upgrade a corridor and upgrade streetlighting. A portion of the funding will go toward efforts to pilot centerline hardening, protect bike lanes, turn calming and modular median crossing islands.
The city of Fairlawn, Ohio, will receive $20.9 million to supplement its $26.1 million project to implement safety improvements along a 3.5-mile corridor. Plans include building a roundabout, pedestrian refuge islands, high-visibility crosswalks and rectangular rapid-flashing beacons. Additional work will consist of improved lighting, walkway improvements, access management, bus pull-offs and extended left-turn lanes.
Williamson County, Texas, will spend $20.2 million to support a $25.2 million effort to implement systemic and corridor safety improvements. The project vision calls for installing:
- 3,648 retroreflective signal backplates at 238 intersections.
- 75 rectangular rapid-flashing beacons.
- 32 speed feedback signs.
Additional improvements will include raised medians, lighting, access management and signal timing on priority corridors. The county will also invest in a pilot program for emergency vehicle preemption on one to two high-priority corridors.
Hinds County, Mississippi, will rebuild a 2.75-mile segment of a roadway to reduce injuries and improve multimodal safety, spending $20 million in federal funding on the $25 million project. The county will convert the corridor to a three-lane cross-section with a two-way left-turn lane, access management, ADA-compliant sidewalks, bicycle lanes, upgraded lighting and two rectangular rapid-flashing beacons at pedestrian crossings.
The city of Belmont, North Carolina, will receive $20 million to advance a $25 million plan to implement a Safe Routes to School campaign along its high-injury network. Plans include installing Federal Highway Authority (FHWA) Proven Safety Countermeasures along eight corridors and five intersections that link four schools, a college and downtown. The project will include high-visibility crosswalks, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, pedestrian lighting, sidewalk infill, dedicated paths, traffic calming measures and signal upgrades.
Wichita, Kansas, will use $20 million to implement multimodal safety improvements along a 7-mile corridor as part of a $25 million project. The project calls for installing raised medians, accessible pedestrian signals, reflectorized backplates and flashing yellow arrows. Additional improvements include mid-block crossings, roadway illumination, high-visibility pavement markings, buffered bike lanes, bulb-outs and radar vehicle detection. The city also plans to upgrade transit access and fiber communications at high-ridership stops.
The city of Erie, Pennsylvania, will receive $20 million to implement a series of projects along the city’s high-injury network, advancing a project totaling $25 million. Plans include:
- Reallocating 11,000 feet of roadway to add bike lanes and bike markings.
- Delivering 40,000 feet of sidewalk and 106 high-visibility crosswalks near schools.
- Installing daylighting at 23 intersections.
- Upgrading signals with leading pedestrian intervals and timing changes.
The city also plans to allocate portions of the funding to complete road safety audits at nine intersections. Additional work will include developing a systemic lane departure analysis, finalizing a Complete Streets policy and launching a citywide traffic calming program.
Photo by Oregon Department of Transportation, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, from Wikimedia Commons
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