Board endorses Safe Streets comprehensive safety action plan to target high-injury corridors

Botetourt County supervisors on Monday endorsed a draft comprehensive safety action plan developed under the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, agreeing to a county goal of reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries by 50% by 2045.

The board voted to endorse the plan after a presentation and public-stakeholder outreach summary by transportation consultant Thomas Ruff of the Timmins Group and comments from county staff. The plan identifies a high-injury network that represents roughly 7% of the county’s roadway mileage but accounts for about 55% of serious and fatal crashes, and it recommends a mix of site-specific engineering fixes, education and enforcement actions, and candidate projects for future grant funding.

Why it matters: Botetourt will use the action plan to prioritize locations for roadway safety improvements and to strengthen applications for future federal funding to build those improvements. The plan is the product of data analysis, public engagement meetings and coordination with VDOT and neighboring jurisdictions.

Ruff summarized the plan’s evidence base and public input. He said the county recorded 41 fatalities over the nine-year data window used for the analysis and that fixed-object run-off crashes were the most common serious crash type on rural roads. He emphasized that motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians face higher risk of fatal or serious injury in crashes compared with vehicle occupants, and he showed maps of the top segments and intersections the analysis flagged for focused work.

Board members asked about scale and near-term steps. John LaRue, the county administrator, and VDOT staff participated in discussion of how the plan aligns with state goals and local project delivery. Ruff and staff said endorsement does not obligate county funds now; rather, it makes the county eligible and more competitive for federal safety implementation grants and signals local commitment to the Commonwealth’s target to halve serious injuries and fatalities by 2045.

Supervisor questions focused on magnitude and next steps. One supervisor asked how many pedestrian and bicycle fatalities were included; Ruff said the raw count over the nine-year period was small and that he could provide the exact figure. Board members also asked whether earlier installations such as flashing yellow left-turn arrows had been considered; Ruff said those devices have been beneficial in many places but can increase crash risk at some intersections, and any countermeasure recommendation would be tailored to local crash patterns and site conditions.

The board passed the resolution endorsing the plan by voice vote. The endorsement commits the county to pursue implementation steps and to work with Roanoke County, the town of Vinton, VDOT and regional partners to pursue funding and design work for prioritized locations.

The county will next finalize minor revisions to the draft plan, then use the plan as the basis for pursuing federal funding for targeted projects and for public education and enforcement initiatives.

Speakers quoted or referenced in this article: John LaRue, county administrator; Thomas Ruff, transportation consultant, Timmins Group; Michael Blevins, VDOT representative; Supervisor Clinton.

Ending: The board’s endorsement moves local planning from analysis to action, enabling Botetourt to seek federal implementation funding for the high-priority intersections and corridors the plan identifies.