South Central Planning & Development receives $400K for road safety
Published 3:30 am Saturday, February 4, 2023
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BATON ROUGE — This week, the U. S. Department of Transportation announced $800 million in grant awards for over 500 safety projects across the country, aimed at improving roads and creating safer streets to reduce traffic fatalities for all users. Through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program, 11 regional/ local public agencies across Louisiana will receive a combined total of $5.11 million to develop safety action plans to assist with identifying and prioritizing potential projects within these communities that will create safer streets for motorists, cyclists, pedestrians and workers.
“I would like to congratulate these regional and local entities for receiving this strategically significant funding, established through the Biden Administration,” said DOTD Secretary Shawn D. Wilson, Ph.D. “Enhancing safer street initiatives on Louisiana roadways will ensure that the state, who continues to have far too many roadway and bike/ pedestrian fatalities, is providing intentional and reliable services to our communities and motorists. This further support DOTD’s vision of Destination Zero Deaths and I look forward to seeing these completed safety action plans.”
The Louisiana recipients of the SS4A Grant include:
· New Orleans Regional Planning Commission- $660,000
· Acadiana Planning Commission $400,009
· City of New Orleans- $751,631
· Capitol Region Planning Commission- $480,000
· Northwest Council of Governments- $800,000
· City of Lake Charles- $482,400
· City of Natchitoches- $280,000
· City of Westwego- $284,480
· North Delta Regional Planning & Development Commission- $319,680
· South Central Planning & Development Commission- $400,000
· Town of Abita Springs- $252,000
This investment will benefit the local communities greatly in reducing traffic fatalities, as the number of fatalities continues to increase. Data suggests that roadway fatalities have been increasing yearly, with a record high of 972 fatalities on Louisiana public roadways in 2021 and 865 fatalities in 2022, though this number is preliminary data. Based on this preliminary data from 2022, of the 865 fatalities last year, 153 are attributed to pedestrians walking and 41 to cyclists.