11.14.24

WA Communities to Receive $2.1 Million to Reduce Traffic-Related Deaths

Safe Streets and Roads for All program was created by Cantwell to plan & execute highway, intersection, sidewalk, & bike lane safety improvements; In 2023, WA saw the most traffic fatalities since 1990

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, announced that nine communities across the State of Washington will receive a total of $2.1 million to make their roadways safer for drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists.

The funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, includes one implementation grant and eight planning grants.

The grants include:

  • $388,000 for the Spokane Regional Transportation Council to conduct a pilot educational campaign that leverages non-traditional media, such as partnerships with local influencers and advertisements in video games, to deliver targeted safety messages. This campaign will raise awareness of safety issues, promote safe behaviors, and strengthen community involvement.
  • $400,000 for the City of Everett to develop a supplemental Speed Management Plan that evaluates and identifies appropriate speed limits for each city street (arterial and collector) and applies a city-wide speed limit policy.
  • $400,200 for the City of Puyallup to develop a comprehensive, publicly accessible Safety Action Plan for the city's roadway network.
  • $116,000 for the Cowlitz Indian Tribe to develop the Cowlitz Reservation Safety Action Plan and reduce the number of crashes on the reservation, and help the Tribe work with nearby cities, Clark County, and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to maintain safe driving facilities in the vicinity. This Action Plan will incorporate information from the Cowlitz 2021 Tribal Transportation Safety Plan Update and past road safety improvements to 31st Avenue and speed limit sign installation.
  • $81,120 for the Hoh Indian Tribe to develop a Safety Action Plan that will protect and safeguard the Hoh Tribe as they relocate their community to the Hoh Highlands. The Highlands is bisected by Highway 101, a heavily travelled route by locals, tourists, and logging trucks. The Safety Action Plan will increase the safety for the tribal community and drivers on Highway 101 by studying the Tribe's road network and how it interfaces with Highway 101.
  • $222,952 for the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe to transform the Federal Highway Administration Office of Tribal Transportation Planning document into a Tribal Council approved Target Zero Action Plan, a data-driven goal to reduce or eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries.
  • $128,000 for the Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation to develop a new Action Plan to reduce the number of crashes on the reservation and help Kalispel Tribe of Indians work with nearby cities, Pend Oreille County, and WSDOT to maintain safe driving facilities in the vicinity.
  • $95,000 for the Samish Indian Nation to develop a transportation Safety Action Plan. This action plan will serve as a cornerstone for transportation safety planning for the Tribe and assist with identification of areas for future transportation improvements. The document will serve as a means to reduce and eliminate traffic injuries and fatalities on all roads passing through Samish lands.
  • $348,192 for the Confederated Tribes and Bands of the Yakama Nation to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to improve roadway safety within Yakama Nation's jurisdiction. The plan will integrate updated local data, advanced communications technologies, and safety-focused initiatives tailored to the unique challenges of rural and tribal roadways.

In December of last year, Sen. Cantwell announced 25 Safe Streets and Roads for All grants, totaling $38.3 million.

Sen. Cantwell authored the Safe Streets and Roads For All program, steered its authorization through the Commerce Committee, and ensured that the program was among the transportation investments included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Safe Streets and Roads for All grants help local governments carry out Vision Zero plans and other improvements to reduce crashes and fatalities, including for cyclists and pedestrians.

Thanks to Sen. Cantwell's leadership, the BIL will deliver an estimated $9.89 billion in formula funding for transportation investments to Washington state. In the three years since the law's signing in November 2021, it has funded more than 1,600 transportation projects in the state.

Data about Washington state traffic collisions and fatalities broken down by city and county is available HERE.