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Smyrna adopts comprehensive safety action plan to qualify for federal implementation grants
Summary
The Smyrna Town Council on April 8 adopted a grant-funded Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that identifies a 15-corridor high-injury network, establishes crash-reduction targets and makes the town eligible to apply for implementation funds under the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program.
The Smyrna Town Council on April 8 voted to adopt a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan funded by a $300,000 federal grant, a step officials said will make the town eligible to apply for implementation dollars from the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.
The council adopted the plan after a presentation by Leo of Kimley‑Horn and a recommendation from town staff. The plan, Leo said during the presentation, was prepared with grant money awarded to Smyrna in the 2022 SS4A funding cycle and “the plan is completed. Once you adopt it and accept the resolution, you have committed your requirements for that.”
The plan summarizes eight required components for the SS4A program, identifies a 15‑corridor “high injury network” where the town’s fatal and serious crashes are concentrated, and sets interim targets that the town will use to measure progress. Kimley‑Horn’s staff described the recommendations as short‑, mid‑ and long‑term countermeasures aimed at eliminating fatal and severe crashes along those corridors.
Consultants said the plan’s analysis found roughly 80% of the town’s fatal and serious crashes are concentrated in 15 corridors. Project materials and the consultant presentation show corridor fact sheets with crash types, contributing factors and suggested countermeasures — from center‑line rumble strips and retroreflective pavement markers to targeted intersection evaluations requiring coordination with the Tennessee Department of Transportation.
The plan also documents a multi‑agency steering committee formed during the planning process. Kimley‑Horn and town staff said the committee included representatives from the fire department, police, emergency medical services, the school district and adjacent jurisdictions; the consultant recommended maintaining that steering group as an ongoing “safety team” to review crash data annually and help prioritize projects.
Tom (town staff) told the council that adopting the plan shows Smyrna’s leadership commitment and will support applications for implementation grants under the SS4A program, noting that the program’s most recent Notice of Funding Opportunity had opened two weeks earlier. Town staff said the plan must be posted online and that the town is required to monitor and report crash rates year‑to‑year as part of program transparency and accountability.
During questions, council members asked about likely countermeasures (geometric changes, signal timing, shoulder widening, rumble strips and a pavement management plan) and about whether failing to meet interim targets would force repayment of the original $300,000; the consultant said the grant requirement was to complete the plan and that meeting future targets is uncertain, but that program reviewers will look at how aggressively the town implements recommended countermeasures.
Councilman Dempsey moved to adopt the plan and the council approved the resolution; the motion carried with no recorded roll‑call opposition. Town staff said the finalized plan and related targets and actions would be posted on the town website for public review.
The immediate next step, staff told council, is to develop a short list of candidate projects to submit for implementation funding in the current SS4A application cycle.
