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Westland council adopts regional Safe Streets for All plan to pursue federal safety grants
Summary
The Westland City Council unanimously adopted a multijurisdictional Safe Streets for All Unified Safety Action Plan that prioritizes dangerous corridors and makes the city eligible for federal and other grants to fund pedestrian and roadway safety projects.
The Westland City Council voted to adopt the Safe Streets for All Unified Safety Action Plan, a four-city regional plan that identifies high-risk roadway segments and recommends design, behavior and education interventions to reduce traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
The plan, produced with consultant firm McKenna and funded through the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe Streets for All program under the bipartisan infrastructure law, was presented to council by McKenna staff and Director Ayub. McKenna said, “we are pleased to present you with the final safe streets for all unified safety action plan,” describing a year-long collaborative effort across Westland, Wayne, Inkster and Garden City.
Council members said adopting the plan is the first step toward pursuing grant funding. Council President McDermott said the document will allow the city to “put pen to paper” and present “specific items we want to take care of” to federal grantors. Director Ayub and McKenna staff told the council the plan documents analysis of crash and field data, prioritizes problematic corridors in the region and lays out interventions and project pathways. McKenna also said adoption will “unlock new buckets of funding that the city and these four cities can pursue either individually or collectively.”
During discussion, council members asked about timing and prioritization. Councilwoman Rakowski emphasized that adoption is a planning step: “this is just a plan. This is not next week, we’re gonna have this nice, beautiful thing in action.” McKenna and city staff confirmed the plan itself does not fund construction; instead it creates eligibility for grants and gives staff a list of candidate projects and locations to pursue in capital improvement program (CIP) and grant applications. Staff said project prioritization will occur during CIP planning and as funding opportunities arise.
Council members also discussed coordination with Wayne County projects. Director Ayub said the county contacted Westland after receiving the plan and its GIS files and may use the city’s safety data to inform county roadway projects. Council members said that coordination could prompt near-term adjustments—for example, a county-funded streetscape job could include signal upgrades in locations highlighted by the plan.
Council members thanked McKenna, city staff and emergency services for contributing data. Pro Tem Sampe and others noted Westland Police and Fire provided crash and response data used in the analysis.
The council approved the resolution to adopt the plan with no dissent. Council discussion and the vote focused on adoption of the planning document and next steps for grant applications; adoption does not itself authorize construction spending or contract awards. The resolution passed, and staff said a final adopted copy will be posted on the project website and hard copies delivered to the planning department for public reference.
Looking ahead, staff and council said the next steps are (1) to use the plan to pursue federal and state safety funding, (2) prioritize candidate road segments during CIP work and (3) coordinate with Wayne County and neighboring cities to align projects where appropriate.
