Broward, Miami-Dade, Monroe and Palm Beach counties are receiving over $7 million in federal grants to make streets and intersections safer, under funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All program.
Hundreds of cities and counties across the U.S. will receive a share of over $800 million.
The competitive grants include nearly $590 million to carry out 37 projects making physical safety improvements to roadways in 22 states. An additional nearly $213 million is being distributed in smaller increments for hundreds of traffic safety planning efforts across the country.
The grants are the first under the program, which ultimately will provide $5 billion over five years. The program was part of the federal infrastructure law passed by Congress and signed by President Joe Biden in 2021.
Grants generally are intended to promote safety for multiple roadway users, including motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
Where will the money go?
The list of 37 projects receiving multimillion-dollar implementation grants can be found here.
The cities of Atlanta and Philadelphia will receive the largest grants of $30 million each.
Atlanta's grant will help fund improvements to Pryor Street and Central Avenue and connect a south side trail to downtown. The project includes roadway reconfigurations, medians, bicycle lanes, crosswalk lighting and flashing beacons.
Philadelphia's grant will fund improvements along North Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The project includes raised medians and pedestrian crossings, intersection modifications and traffic signal improvements.
What about other grants?
A list of local governments receiving planning grants for roadway safety measures can be found here.
The 473 planning grants range from $6,263 for Mekoryuk, Alaska — population around 200 — to more than $6.3 million for the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
California leads the way with 43 planning grants totaling more than $25 million, followed by 34 planning grants totaling $19 million in Florida and 25 such grants totaling nearly $17 million in Texas.
Data on traffic safety
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has said the U.S. faces a "national crisis of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.”
Nearly 43,000 people are estimated to have died in vehicle traffic crashes in 2021 — an increase of nearly one-third over the past decade, according to data from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Data for the entirety of 2022 is not yet available, but estimates for the first nine months indicate that fatal traffic crashes appear to have leveled off or declined slightly. Still, they are significantly higher than levels that existed before the coronavirus pandemic.
Among states, estimated traffic fatalities in the first three-quarters of 2022 rose by the largest percentage in Hawaii, Delaware, Nebraska, Washington and Alaska. Traffic fatalities were down by the greatest rate in South Dakota and Rhode Island.
| Lead Applicant | Project Title | Type of Plan | Urban/ Rural | Funding Award |
| City of Key West | Key West City-wide Comprehensive Safety Action Plan | Action Plan | Rural | $400,000.00 |
| City of Miami Beach | Miami Beach Vision Zero Plan | Action Plan | Urban | $320,000.00 |
| City of Opa-locka | SS4A Action Plan Grant Application for the City of Opa-locka in the State of Florida | Action Plan | Urban | $200,000.00 |
| North Miami Beach | SS4A Action Plan Grant to City of North Miami Beach in Florida | Action Plan | Urban | $200,000.00 |
| Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization | Broward MPO Regional Comprehensive Safety Action Plan | Action Plan | Urban | $5,000,000.00 |
| City of Boca Raton | City of Boca Raton Vision Zero Action Plan using Safe System Approach | Action Plan | Urban | $300,000.00 |
| City of West Palm Beach | City of West Palm Beach Comprehensive Safety Action Plan | Action Plan | Urban | $280,000.00 |
Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners | Palm Beach County Safety Action Plan | Action Plan | Urban | $639,200.00 |
To view the Safe Streets and Roads for All FY22 Action Plan Awards by State, click here.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
