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Commission adopts Vision Zero safety plan funded by SS4A, opening state and federal grant lanes
Summary
The commission unanimously adopted Resolution 2,432 to accept a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)-funded transportation safety plan prepared for Liberal. The plan highlights intersection crash hot spots on Kansas Avenue and US 54 and lists short- and long-term countermeasures and funding pathways.
The Liberal City Commission unanimously adopted Resolution 2,432 on a Vision Zero transportation safety plan developed with SS4A grant funding and consulting firm Kimley‑Horn.
The Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A)–funded plan identifies intersections — particularly on Kansas Avenue and segments along U.S. 54 and U.S. 83 — as safety emphasis areas after a five-year crash review that recorded multiple injury crashes including four fatalities and 13 serious injuries. The plan ranks candidate projects and policy changes and is intended to make the city eligible for future federal and state safety funding, including downstream SS4A implementation grants and KDOT programs.
Anthony Gallo of Kimley‑Horn, who presented the plan, described the project as a data-driven safety analysis combined with stakeholder engagement: "First and foremost, we want to identify transportation safety projects and policies that we can implement in the city," Gallo said, noting the study included crash and traffic-count analysis, task-force workshops, stakeholder interviews and an online comment map that gathered roughly 300 corridor comments.
The plan groups low-cost countermeasures — improved signage, striping, lighting, stop bars and signal visibility improvements such as yellow back plates — with longer-term projects such as adding left-turn lanes, flashing yellow arrow signal phasing and pedestrian facilities where appropriate. Priority locations called out include the US‑83 curve near Tucker Road, the US‑54/Western Avenue approaches and several Kansas Avenue intersections near the community college.
City staff emphasized that adoption of the plan does not commit the city to specific projects; it establishes a formal, adopted safety strategy that is required to apply for certain federal implementation funds. Scarlett (city staff) noted the plan was largely funded by federal SS4A (80%) with a 20% KDOT match and called the plan a useful tool to pursue grant funding.
Commissioner Parsons moved to adopt the resolution; Commissioner Warren seconded. The motion passed 4‑0. Staff will post the plan online and track crash metrics as required by the SS4A program and will pursue applicable state and federal funding opportunities identified in the report.
