Back in February, the City of Detroit received a $24.8 million road safety grant from the US DOT’s Safe Streets for All program (SS4A).
Apparently lightning does strike twice.
The US DOT just awarded the City another $24.8 million SS4A grant. While the first focused on infrastructure improvements to streets with the highest crash rates, this grants focuses more on high-crash intersection near transit stops.
The City of Detroit, Michigan, is awarded funds to improve safety and bus stop accessibility at 56 high-crash intersections served by the Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) bus service. Improvements will support safer transfers between different routes and active/shared modes and include bus bulbs/transit islands; sidewalk widening and ADA curb ramp updates; highvisibility crosswalks; intersection lighting; and signal timing improvements. The City will also conduct a Level of Traffic Stress analysis to address gaps in bicyclist/pedestrian networks, update the City’s Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, and pilot training for DDOT bus operators to ensure safe operations around people walking and biking. The City of Detroit has one of the highest traffic fatality rates in the country.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Fiscal Year 2023 Implementation Grant Awards, USDOT
We wrote a letter of support for this project because we believe it “will substantially reduce the risk of countless vulnerable roadway users being killed or injured at intersections in Detroit and it will help realize the region’s vision for improved transit.”
City of Dearborn
A major streetscape of Warren Avenue in Dearborn (near the Joe Louis Greenway) was also awarded $24.9 million.
The City of Dearborn, Michigan, is awarded funds for a road diet that focuses on a dual lane reduction on Warren Avenue. This 2-mile stretch of road currently hosts five lanes of traveling traffic and is a thoroughfare used to get to Detroit, Canada, and the Detroit Metro Airport. This project includes three primary objectives. First, the narrowing of Warren Avenue to calm traffic through the district. Second, infrastructural updates to the streetscape to incorporate a new demarcated bike lane and plant buffer to mitigate flood waters as well as beautify the grey urban area. Finally, this project will reimagine the streetscape with new LED lighting, which will lower the carbon footprint in the area, improve safety, and enhance visibility for pedestrians and motorists alike.
Safe Streets and Roads for All Fiscal Year 2023 Implementation Grant Awards, USDOT
SEMCOG
SEMCOG received $10 million for their “Safe Streets Now: Making Southeast Michigan roads safer for people of all ages and abilities” project.
This award will be used by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG) to complete demonstration activities focused on vulnerable road users. Demonstration activities will be located in equity emphasis areas, the High Injury Network, and/or Bicycle and Pedestrian Demand Areas. Examples of demonstration countermeasures that will be installed include bike lanes, cycle tracks, bulb outs, speed humps, pedestrian refuge islands, gateway treatments, and enhanced crosswalk pavement markings using temporary materials such as paint, bollards, planter boxes, and rubber curbs to separate users in space and time, and reduce impact forces through reducing speeds.
US DOT Notice of Award
Our letter of support stated that is “is a great opportunity to reduce traffic violence through a Safe Systems Approach – and we fully support that.”
SEMCOG confirmed to us that the City of Detroit would be eligible for this funding as well.
Action Planning
Other SS4A grants were awarded to nearby cities for developing new action plans, including Dearborn Heights “Safe Streets 4 Dearborn Heights” which received $396,700.
Other Metro Detroit cities also receiving this funding include Canton, Garden City, Inkster, Mount Clemens, Novi, Pontiac, Wayne and Westland.
Wayne County received $1 million to develop a “Comprehensive Safety Action Plan” as well.
Note: While these funding announcements are certainly positive, Metro Detroit received these competitive grants due to our region’s unsafe roads. If we had safer roads and had reached Vision Zero, we wouldn’t be receiving this much help from the US DOT.
