February 1, 2023
On February 1, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, a record amount of funding to improve roads and address traffic fatalities. DVRPC was awarded $1.47 million for its Regional Vision Zero 2050 Action Program.
On February 1, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, a record amount of funding to improve roads and address traffic fatalities. DVRPC was awarded $1.47 million for its Regional Vision Zero 2050 Action Program. This was a regional effort, with all nine counties in the DVRPC region included as subrecipients of the award.
DVRPC and its partners will create a safety action program to advance the Connections 2050 Long-Range Plan Regional Vision Zero 2050 goal with a process designed to strengthen ongoing regional collaboration toward eliminating crash fatalities. In addition to required plan elements like a regional High Injury Network, DVRPC will review recently-completed and forthcoming county and local plans for inclusion in the regional plan–possibly qualifying them for future SS4A implementation grant rounds.
Also as part of this grant, Upper Darby Township will hire a consultant to study the 69th Street Transportation Center area seeking to improve road safety and access for the pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists using the center. Reimagining the existing pedestrian bridge is a top municipal priority.
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 will range from redesigned roads to better sidewalks and crosswalks with the intended outcome to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.