INFRASTRUCTURE How to Use Safe Streets Grants by: Brittney D. Kohler and Kyle Funk
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mericans should have a safe street to drive, walk or roll on – and the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants are making that vision possible in more than 700 communities in just two years. When Congress passed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), officially known as the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), two years ago, they included several direct grants that local governments could apply for, and they certainly have with more than 1,100 local governments bringing home infrastructure grants. However, SS4A has proven to be one of the most practical and effective transportation grants for local governments to use from the infrastructure law’s hundreds of programs. In just the first round of SS4A grants, cities saw $471 million in projects impacting 50.1 million residents, and 54% of the first round of SS4A grant winners were small cities. Now, with the most recent release of SS4A 2023 grants totaling $82 million, the national view of the projects are showing how a federal program can reach across America and into communities. Applications for the next round of SS4A are anticipated to open in February 2024. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The program supports the planning and development of a comprehensive safety action plan that identifies the most significant roadway safety concerns in a community and the implementation of projects and strategies
to address roadway safety issues. The SS4A program provides funding for two types of grants: • Planning and Demonstration Grants provide Federal funds to develop, complete, or supplement a comprehensive safety action plan. The goal of an Action Plan is to develop a holistic, well-defined strategy to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries in a locality, Tribe, or region. Planning and Demonstration Grants also fund supplemental planning and/ or demonstration activities that inform the development of a new or existing Action Plan. The Department encourages including demonstration activities in an application. • Implementation Grants provide Federal funds to implement projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan to address a roadway safety problem. Projects and strategies can be infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational activities. Implementation Grants may also include demonstration activities, supplemental planning, and project-level planning, design, and development. Applicants must have an eligible Action Plan to apply for Implementation Grants. The Department encourages including demonstration activities in an application. This article is adapted from the National League of Cities Citiespeak Blog; “How Local Leaders are Using Infrastructure Investments to Improve Safety.” For more information and other articles, visit them at https:// www.nlc.org/citiesspeak/
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