DVRPC Awarded $1.52 Million Safe Streets for All Grant

September 17, 2024

This award will be used by DVRPC to conduct Regional High Injury Network corridor safety studies, develop a municipal safety analysis and plan for an underserved community, and conduct a consultant-led effort to create a model and process for partners to implement the regional plan at the subregional level.

On Thursday, September 5, 2024, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced more than $1 billion in grants through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. The funding will go directly to 354 local, regional, and tribal communities to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries on America’s rural and urban roads, including some of the most dangerous in the country. A third SS4A  announcement is expected later this year for the winners of the August application deadline. 

DVRPC was awarded $1.52 million in SS4A’s 2024 funding for the Regional Vision Zero Plan Supplemental Planning and Partner Support. This award will be used by DVRPC to conduct Regional High Injury Network corridor safety studies, develop a municipal safety analysis and plan for an underserved community, and conduct a consultant-led effort to create a model and process for partners to implement the regional plan at the subregional level.

In addition, the region received four other SS4A awards so far in 2024. DVRPC collaborated with regional partners to ensure applications promoted coordination and resource sharing, and  provided letters of support. Safety planning at every level contributes to the Regional Vision Zero goal of zero roadway deaths by 2050. 

• The City of Philadelphia was awarded $7.19 million to develop a Pedestrian Safety and Sidewalk Improvement Plan and conduct a demonstration project at 40 schools to test traffic calming interventions at crosswalks.
• The Township of Lower Merion was awarded $272,432 to create a traffic calming and safety plan for the Montgomery Avenue corridor in Lower Merion Township in coordination with Narberth Borough.
• Burlington County was awarded $400,000 to develop the Burlington County Complete Network Plan which will identify and prioritize crash trend locations of vulnerable road users and will identify opportunities to create safe and accessible multimodal infrastructure.
• Mercer County was awarded $625,000 to  systematically screen roadway facilities and analyze crash data to identify locations at which to install FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures.

The SS4A competitive grant program, established by the 2022 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIA), provides a total of $5 billion to be awarded over five years for regional, local, and Tribal initiatives. These initiatives range from the development of safety action plans and demonstration projects, as well as the implementation of roadway safety improvements advanced from qualifying action plans. In 2023, DVRPC was awarded $1.47 million to develop a Regional Vision Zero 2050 Action Program (RVZ). This is a regional effort, with all nine counties in the DVRPC region included as subrecipients who also serve as the RVZ’s steering committee. 

The Greater Philadelphia region was awarded over $9.8 million in SS4A funds so far this year alone. This is in addition to the awards received in each of the first two years of the program, for a combined current total of over $56 million in planning, demonstration, and implementation grants awarded to municipalities, counties, and DVRPC. Additional 2024 SS4A awards are expected to be announced later this year, and the fourth of five funding rounds in the SS4A program will be announced in 2025.