Press Release  Federal Grants Announced: Safe Streets and Roads for All

Boston — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) has announced that more than $4,570,000 is being awarded to four municipalities in the second round of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program. The Program was established through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and includes approximately $5 billion in appropriated funds to be awarded over the next five years.  The second round grant awards will be going to planning and infrastructure initiatives to improve road safety in Brockton, Haverhill, Lowell, and Somerville.

“We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Transportation and our congressional delegation for this Safe Streets and Roads grant funding for Brockton, Haverhill, Lowell, and Somerville,” said Acting Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt.  “MassDOT has been pleased to work collaboratively with these four municipalities in identifying projects and plans which meet the Safe Streets and Road criteria and advance much needed safety improvements and we look forward to helping other cities and towns in developing action steps which make travel safer for everyone, whether they are on foot, bicycle, public transportation vehicles or using their own personal vehicles.”

“Safe Streets and Roads for All is a critical program for enabling cities and towns to improve safety for all users of our roads,” said Director of Federal Funds and Infrastructure Quentin Palfrey. “We thank the Biden Administration for making these historic investments available to Massachusetts’ communities and look forward to the opportunity to support local governments with securing federal dollars in future rounds of funding.”

The SS4A program funding awards can be used to improve roadway safety by supporting communities in developing comprehensive safety action plans based on a Safe Systems Approach, conduct data analyses, and implement projects and strategies that seek to significantly reduce or eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries involving pedestrians, bicyclists, micromobility users, motorists, public transportation customers, users of personal conveyance, and commercial vehicle operators.  Additionally, awarded funding can also be used to support robust stakeholder engagement in order to ensure that all community members have a voice in developing plans, projects, and strategies.

Today’s announcement made by the U.S. Department of Transportation and MassDOT is in regard to funding in the second round for these four communities:

• City of Somerville for Somerville Bicycle Network Vision Safety Demonstration Project ($3,984,000)
• City of Brockton for Demonstration Grant ($188,480)
• City of Haverhill for Haverhill Main Street Intersection Development Project ($200,000)
• City of Lowell for Lowell Supplemental Action Planning ($200,000)

This past February, MassDOT announced that 17 municipalities and Regional Planning Agencies in Massachusetts received grant awards through the first round of the Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program.  The recipients of the first round of FY2022 SS4A program funding awards were as follows:   

• Barnstable County/Cape Cod Commission ($240,000)
• Berkshire Regional Planning Commission ($198,593) 
• Boston Metropolitan Area Planning Council ($2,238,680
• City of Boston ($9,000,000
• City of Salem ($200,000)
• City of Somerville ($116,800)
• City of Springfield: ($15,012,800)
• City of Worcester ($200,000)
• Merrimack Valley Planning Commission ($375,233)
• Montachusett Regional Planning Commission ($750,000)
• Old Colony Planning Council ($320,000) 
• Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District ($880,000) 
• Town of Dedham ($207,841) 
• Town of Nantucket ($460,000) 
• Town of Southbridge ($60,000) 
• Town of Ware ($40,500) 
• Town of Weymouth ($336,000) 

The Safe Streets and Roads for All Program projects are approved based on including specific timelines and projects for implementation, specific prioritization criteria, and incorporation of the Safe System Approach. 

Additional SS4A awards are expected to be announced in December.  Applications for the next round of SS4A are anticipated to open in February of 2024.

For additional information on today’s announcement, please visit:

https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/biden-harris-administration-announces-roadway-safety-planning-grants-over-200

For the state by state breakdown on today’s announcement:

https://www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2023-10/FY23-SS4A_PDG-Awards-by-State_Oct2023.pdf

For more information about the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program, please visit: https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A.   

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