Middletown adopts Vision Zero safety action plan to qualify for federal implementation funding

The Town of Middletown council on June 9 adopted a data-driven safety action plan aimed at advancing the town’s Vision Zero pledge to eliminate traffic deaths by 2034, and authorized staff to pursue federal implementation funding tied to the plan.

The plan, prepared through a RIPTA-supported statewide effort by consultant Tool Design Group, identifies hot spots and recommended projects and assigns responsible parties and benchmarks to track progress toward Vision Zero. Shauna Kitzman of Tool Design Group presented the plan to the council, noting the town’s participation in a regional application for Safe Streets and Roads for All funding.

“This safety action plan is a technical and strategic document, and that outlines specific data driven actions to improve roadway safety throughout town, and it helps you follow your vision 0 pledge,” Kitzman said during the presentation.

The plan draws on five years of crash data provided by the Rhode Island Department of Transportation and local input from a task force and public engagement. Most injury crashes were concentrated in denser commercial areas, particularly corridors near the Newport border. The plan highlights East Main Road and West Main Road as primary corridors of concern and also identifies Valley Road and Green End Avenue as data-supported hot spots.

Council members asked whether federal funding remains available and whether the program would cover improvements such as sidewalks and enhanced crossings. Kitzman said the SS4A grant has had multiple rounds and that 2025 has a single application window, with a June 26 deadline. She said the grant can fund roadway-associated sidewalks, improved crosswalks, signalization changes (including pedestrian signal timing), speed-management strategies and programming, but not standalone trails or ongoing staffing costs.

The plan organizes 42 recommended actions across four strategies: adopt a regional approach, increase roadway safety and slow speeds, increase community commitment to Vision Zero, and manage post-crash care and data transparency. Partners listed in the plan include municipal staff, school stakeholders, AARP, RIPTA and Bike Newport. The town’s task force included participants from the planning office, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, the police department and local nonprofits.

Kitzman told the council that having an adopted safety action plan is required to be eligible for SS4A implementation funding and that a regional application with Portsmouth and Newport is in the works to pursue sidewalk extension, crossing upgrades, signal work and safe routes to school efforts.

The council passed a resolution adopting the Middletown Safe Streets and Roads for All Safety Action Plan, 2025, clearing the way for the town to submit applications for implementation grants.