Hundreds of cities get federal help to make streets safer

Route Fifty

By Daniel C. Vock

SEPTEMBER 5, 2024

The $1 billion funding announcement is the second round of grants this year. To date, the federal government has provided money for safer streets to nearly three-quarters of the country.

With road deaths still stubbornly high following the pandemic, the Biden administration announced Thursday more than $1 billion in funding to help make the nation's streets safer. The grants to local governments will help fund 354 safety projects around the country.

“We’ve been making a lot of announcements that make a lot of news at the Department of Transportation, but few could be as important as this one, because this really goes to the single main reason why our department exists, which is safety,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a call with reporters.

The list of projects funded through the grants include nearly $10 million to provide telemedicine services to emergency responders in rural Minnesota, $8.1 million for a new roundabout near the campus of Mississippi State University, and $25 million to add “complete streets” features—such as separated bike lanes, curb extensions, raised intersections and extra time for pedestrians to cross—to a major thoroughfare in Milwaukee.

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