Safe Streets and Roads for All

Safe Streets and Roads for All

At the end of 2021, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), investing $550 billion in the nation’s infrastructure to help rebuild America’s roads, bridges, mass transit, water infrastructure and rail systems through 2026. The BIL is the largest long-term investment in our infrastructure and economy in our nation’s history and will benefit our country by improving our supply chains and rebuilding streets to keep pedestrians and road users safe. Within the BIL is the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program which will fund regional, local and Tribal initiatives in an effort to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. This discretionary program has $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next five years.  

Eligibility

Funding for SS4A is open now through 5:00 p.m. EDT on September 15, 2022. Those that are eligible to apply for grant funding include:

• Metropolitan planning organizations
• Counties, cities, towns and transit agencies or special districts that are subdivisions of a State
• Federally recognized Tribal governments
• Multijurisdictional groups

Grants being awarded are expected to be announced by the end of the calendar year 2022 or early in 2023.

Eligible activities for the SS4A program include developing or updating a comprehensive safety action plan (Action Plan), conducting activities that support an Action Plan and carrying out the projects and strategies one identified in an Action Plan.

Within the SS4A, there are two types of grants: Action Plan Grants and Implementation Grants. Action Plan Grants can be used to develop or complete an Action Plan and supplemental planning activities while Implementation Grants are meant for infrastructure, behavioral and operational safety activities identified in an Action Plan.

Action Plan Grant

Tasks that include conducting outreach, data collection and analysis are eligible to apply for Action Plan Grants. Examples include setting goals to eliminate roadway fatalities and serious injuries, analyzing existing road conditions and trends of serious crashes in addition to identifying opportunities for improving transportation safety. Projects and strategies that address safety issues should be chosen based off collected data.

Supplemental planning activities are those that support or enhance an existing Action Plan. Examples of these activities include expanded data collection, testing concepts prior to implementation, feasibility studies and progress report development.

Implementation Grant

The tasks that can be conducted as part of an Implementation Grant include activities that execute the opportunities and plans identified in the Action Plan. There are a range of safety activities that qualify but a few include improving pedestrian crosswalks through the use of high-visibility markings and lighting, improving roadways and pedestrian signals and signage, supporting the development of bikeway networks and deploying roadside safety improvements. For a longer list of example activities, visit the U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Safe Streets and Roads for All program is a great opportunity for communities to improve their local infrastructure to keep pedestrians and road users safe. Eligible applicants can apply here.