As students head back to school, new round of funding from President Biden’s infrastructure law will make America’s roads safer for everyone, including pedestrians, cyclists, and those living in rural communities

Announcement is paired with release of NHTSA’s early estimates on traffic fatalities for first half of 2024, showing a 3.2 percent decline compared to the same period in 2023

Today’s announcement – a key component of DOT’s comprehensive National Roadway Safety Strategy launched in 2022 – is paired with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s release of its early estimates of traffic fatalities for the first half of 2024, estimating that traffic fatalities declined for the ninth straight quarter. An estimated 18,720 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a decrease of about 3.2 percent as compared to 19,330 fatalities projected to have occurred in the first half of 2023. Fatalities declined in both the first and second quarters of 2024.  

Even with road fatalities decreasing over the past nine quarters straight, they remain far too high. Over 40,000 people have died on U.S. roads in each of the last three years, and a disproportionate number of people are killed in rural areas or while walking or bicycling. Additionally, traffic fatalities remain a leading cause of death for school-aged children and young adults.

“Through new funding programs like Safe Streets and Roads for All, the Biden-Harris Administration is helping communities of all sizes make their roadways safer for everyone who uses them,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We should be energized by the fact that together we’ve reduced traffic fatalities for more than two years in a row now – but so much work remains to fully address the crisis on our roads. Today’s roadway safety grants will deliver funding directly to 354 communities and continue the important work we’re doing to reduce traffic fatalities to the only number that’s acceptable: zero.”   

“The SS4A program gives local and tribal governments the resources to plan and implement the safety improvements that will make the most difference in their communities,” said U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg. “They know what is best, and this program leverages that local expertise to save lives.” 

The Safe Streets and Roads for All program provides grants directly to communities for implementation, planning, and demonstration projects aimed at preventing deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. Since launching in 2022, SS4A has funded projects in more than 1,400 communities, supporting roadway safety for nearly 75% of the U.S. population.

Additionally, SS4A is making historic investments in rural and underserved communities, and many of this year’s awards will address critical safety hot spots on some of the country’s most dangerous roads. The projects and activities aim to improve safety for all roadway users, including drivers, passengers, pedestrians and students heading back to school, bicyclists, transit users, and people with disabilities.

With this round of announced awards:

• Rural communities comprise around half of all SS4A grant award recipients to date.
• 682 SS4A communities (43% of award recipients) have populations under 50,000.
• 793 SS4A award recipients (50% of all recipients to date) were new direct Federal funding recipients to USDOT.
• Over half of SS4A funds will benefit underserved communities, providing equitable investment to places that need funding the most.

View a fact sheet on today’s awards here. Communities and projects being awarded funding in Texas this round include: 

The City of Austin was awarded $10,456,068 for the Safer Transportation Routes using Inclusive, Demonstrative, and Equitable Solutions (STRIDES) project for safer crossings at nearly 50 intersections across the City. The project would implement a variety of Proven Safety Countermeasures and low-cost strategies including a combination of rectangular rapid flashing beacons, pedestrian crossing islands, and curb extensions. The project will address the City’s highest-priority crossing gaps on the high-injury network

The City of Bellmead was awarded $7,750,112 for the Corridor Safety Improvements Projects at Bellmead Drive (SH-31) and Concord Road project to improve safety on Bellmead Drive & Concord Road. The corridors lack safe facilities for people walking and biking, have low visibility, and insufficient lighting. The corridors do not have safe pedestrian connections, and infrastructure components such as pull-out bus stops, speed-feedback signs and pavement markings are in bad condition throughout. The Bellmead Drive portion of the project will install medians, access management, street lighting, parking lanes, bus stops, pedestrian (sidewalks and crosswalks), speed feedback signs, and other measures. The Concord Road portion of the project is to install speed feedback signs, striping improvements (minor street pavement markings, centerline, and edge lines), sign improvements, and street lighting.

The City of Dallas was awarded $9,240,000 for the Creating Pedestrian Safety Zones on the High Injury Network to create pedestrian safety zones along five key corridors on the City’s high-injury network, where 7% of roads account for 62% of severe crashes. To address this problem, Dallas is layering lower-cost, high-impact Proven Safety Countermeasures where pedestrians, transit riders, and other non-vehicular road users can cross traffic safely.

The City of Midland was awarded $8,664,368 for the Strengthening Roadway Safety in Midland, Texas for All Road Users project to update signal timing on all intersections citywide, and to improve walking and driving conditions along the Lamesa Road corridor. The City will install improvements to corridor-wide access management, lighting, sidewalks, crosswalks, and signal timing at intersections. The timing updates address crashes due to red light running and failure to yield and include a leading pedestrian interval to give pedestrians and bicyclists additional time to cross.

The City of Robinson was awarded $9,673,384 for the City of Robinson Systemic Roadway Safety Project to implement safety strategies on West Moonlight Drive, Old Robinson Road, Robinson Drive/US-77, Peplow Drive, and Tate Avenue, which are in the northern portion of the City.  The project will address the safety issues of speeding, low nighttime visibility, and hit-object collisions affecting pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists.

Texas also received $13,640,012 for 14 safety planning and demonstration projects.

View the full list of today’s awards here.

The third and final round of this year’s SS4A grant awards is expected to be announced in November. View more information on the SS4A program.