Biden-Harris Administration Announces Over $1 Billion for Safer Streets Across America

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, US Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced over $1 billion in grants for 354 local, regional, and Tribal governments to improve road safety across the country, in both urban and rural communities. The funding comes from the Biden-Harris administration’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed in 2021.

Also released today, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s early estimates of traffic fatalities for the first half of 2024 show a decline for the ninth straight quarter. Still, the numbers remain too high. More than 40,000 people have died on U.S. roads annually over the last three years, including many while walking or biking. The DOT grants announced today will help communities with the implementation of projects aimed to reduce deaths and injuries on American streets.

In response to today’s DOT announcement, Rebekah Whilden, senior advisor to the Clean Transportation for All campaign, released the following statement:

“Today’s funding represents a life-saving investment in a better and safer future for pedestrians and cyclists across the country. This devastating policy failure has harmed families for too long: No one should not have to fear for their lives navigating roads when they’re not driving, and it’s far too often that we hear about loved ones not making it home. The historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act continues to improve lives from Alaska to Florida. The Biden-Harris administration’s commitment to safer streets will help to change this reality, protect our families, and empower more people to bike and walk.” 

Awards announced include but are not limited to: 

• $13.1 million to Memphis, TN to make significant improvements on a high-injury corridor at a six-way intersection that is the number one location for crash frequency in the City. The intersection enhancements will increase the safety of drivers and of vulnerable road users who access nearby Cherokee Park, a 15-acre park with a playground, ball field, basketball court, pavilion, and fitness trail.
• $25 million to Kalamazoo, MI will improve safety by implementing low-cost, high-impact, evidence-based lane departure and vulnerable road user strategies over a wide geographic area covering more than 130 miles of primary roadways—most of which are rural. 
• $25.5 million to Bluefield, WV in funding to make safety improvements for wheelchair users, pedestrians, and cyclists to a key gateway into historic Black communities and the entrance to Bluefield State University. 
• $29.8 million to Los Angeles County to implement pedestrian safety improvements at 77 intersections, all of which experience higher-than-average rates of pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries. More than 90 percent of the project’s target locations are near schools and commercial areas.