Sarasota County adopts Safe Streets for All safety action plan to pursue federal implementation grants

Sarasota County on Wednesday adopted a countywide safety action plan developed through a federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) planning grant, a step county staff said will make the county eligible to pursue implementation funding for roadway safety projects.

The plan, approved unanimously by the Board of County Commissioners, identifies priority focus areas — speed management, vulnerable road users, roadway lighting, aging road users and impaired driving — and a package of evidence-based countermeasures staff said are proven to reduce fatal and serious-injury crashes.

The plan matter-of-factly positions Sarasota County to seek implementation grants. “The safety action plan . . . positions our county to be able to, apply for implementation grants, that can go towards many of our projects that we have,” Interim Senior Transportation Manager Paula Wiggins told the board during the Sept. 24 presentation.

Why it matters: The SS4A program administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation is a primary national funding source for local roadway safety projects. County staff said other Florida jurisdictions that completed comparable plans later secured multimillion-dollar implementation awards; the plan is a prerequisite for SS4A implementation funding.

What the plan found: Consultants and county analysts examined five years of crash data and identified nearly 1,800 fatal or incapacitating crashes in that period. Chris Keller, a consultant with Benesch who presented the technical findings, said pedestrian crashes were the single largest crash type associated with fatalities and that more than half of fatal crashes occurred during nighttime conditions. He said roadways with posted speeds of 45–55 mph accounted for nearly half of county fatal crashes.

Keller described the plan’s “safe systems” approach, which shifts emphasis from eliminating all crashes to reducing crash severity through combinations of engineering, speed management, education and improved post-crash response. He outlined proven countermeasures the Federal Highway Administration recommends — enhanced crosswalk visibility, medians and refuge islands, sidewalks, access management and lighting — and said those treatments are the kinds of projects grant reviewers expect to see in implementation applications.

Board discussion: Commissioners broadly praised the plan and asked staff to focus on high-priority corridors and keep the county’s aging-driver demographics in mind when designing treatments. Commissioner Mast noted concerns on I-75 but accepted staff’s explanation that interstate improvements require coordination with the Florida Department of Transportation. Commissioner Smith pressed staff on crosswalk visibility and local disagreements about crosswalk graphics; Keller and Wiggins recommended high-visibility markings combined with lighting and maintenance of pavement markings to ensure effectiveness.

The vote: Commissioner Mast moved approval; Commissioner Smith seconded. The plan passed unanimously, with the chair voting aye.

What’s next: Staff will use the plan to prioritize projects and to bundle applications for SS4A and other federal funding programs such as Safe Routes to School and Highway Safety Improvement Program grants. County staff estimated it will take additional engineering, design and funding work to move individual countermeasures to construction.