Shaker Heights seeks $584,000 federal Safe Streets grant to develop a comprehensive safety action plan

Shaker Heights City Council voted to authorize submission of an application and to accept, if awarded, a $584,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan and to fund demonstration pilot projects.

Planning staff described the grant as covering both planning and demonstration projects. The total proposed project budget is $730,000, composed of $584,000 in federal funds, a $96,000 cash match from the city and $50,000 of in-kind staff time. The Planning Department would hire a consultant to develop the action plan, gather data, identify priority locations for interventions and run pilot demonstration projects such as daylighting crosswalks, temporary protected bike lanes (road diets) and signal improvements.

Ms. Adakman (presentation) said traffic safety concerns previously reported by residents — including intersections and corridors such as Fernway at Parkland, Lowmont and Gridley Park, Winslow Road, South Park and Shaker Boulevard by the middle school — would be included in the plan’s study. She said the plan would provide data and a prioritized list of projects to support future construction grant applications.

Safety and Finance committee chairs reported unanimous committee support for the application. Council approved the application and potential acceptance of the award on first reading under suspension to meet a June 26 application deadline; staff said award notifications are expected in December and that coordination with county-level efforts will avoid duplicative work.

If funded, the grant would allow the city to test low-cost, data-driven safety pilots and build a roadmap for longer-term capital projects.