The U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg took to social media to announce that applications are now sought for the second round of grants for infrastructure improvements.
“Already, over 500 communities have received funding to kick-start projects that will improve road safety and save lives." Buttigieg said in a tweet on April 22. "Applications are open for the second round of funding through our Safe Street and Roads for All (SS4A) program. Apply now!”
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants are intended "to support planning, infrastructure, behavioral, and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads and streets involving all roadway users, including pedestrians; bicyclists; public transportation, personal conveyance, and micromobility users; motorists; and commercial vehicle operators," according to a Department of Transportation (DOT) Notice of Funding Opportunity.
"The purpose of SS4A grants is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through safety action plan development and refinement and implementation focused on all users," the DOT states in its SS4A grants report. "The program provides funding to develop the tools to help strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives and is designed to meet the needs of diverse local, Tribal, and regional communities that differ dramatically in size, location, and experience administering Federal funding."
Eligible applicants for the grant program include city or township governments, county governments, and federally recognized Native American tribal governments, according to the grant opportunity. Additionally, metropolitan planning organizations and multijurisdictional groups of entities described in any of the aforementioned three types of entities are also eligible to apply. Interested parties are advised to refer to the detailed eligibility criteria before submitting their applications.
The SS4A discretionary program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, according to the USDOT SS4A web page. It funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
In FY22, USDOT awarded $800 million in more than 500 communities through the first round of SS4A funding, the web page reported.
