Aurora committee approves application for SS4A implementation funds, seeks $2 million DOLA local match

The Aurora City Transportation, Airports and Public Works Committee voted unanimously to allow staff to submit an application for the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) implementation grant and to request a $2 million local-match award from the Colorado Department of Local Affairs (DOLA).

Carly Campus Anna, deputy director of Transportation and Mobility in the city's Public Works Department, told the committee the SS4A program is a discretionary federal safety program that totals $5,000,000,000 over five years and can fund safety action plans or implementation projects. "We plan to apply for implementation funds, which will be construction dollars," Campus Anna said, adding the city is aiming for a roughly $10 million grant request that would require a $2 million local match (20 percent).

The committee was presented a project-development approach that uses the city's safety action-plan data to screen and prioritize intersections for spot-safety improvements. Staff said they are building a citywide project list and expect to include about 10 crossings or intersections. Proposed treatments being considered include roundabouts, midblock crossings, new or modified signals, and changes to access points.

The proposed grant package will focus on city-owned streets and exclude state highways to avoid permitting delays and coordination constraints with the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). "We excluded state highways because CDOT processes can add a lot of time to our projects," Campus Anna said, noting CDOT has separate statewide safety funding and permitting requirements. Council member Angela Lawson objected to excluding busy state routes that run through Aurora, saying, "To me, that should have been included ... particularly that highway, we get the most complaints." Campus Anna and other staff noted state-highway corridors remain part of the safety action plan and will be pursued through other funding opportunities and partnerships with CDOT.

Tom (transportation planner) said securing funding requires project-ready plans. "If we want funding, we need a plan for it," he said, describing ongoing, partner-led studies for multimodal improvements on corridors such as Parker Road that will allow Aurora to point to specific projects when external funding becomes available.

The application timeline is tight: staff said the SS4A application is due in about a month and the DOLA local-match request will be added to the city council agenda on Monday to satisfy timeline requirements. The committee's unanimous support was recorded at the meeting, and staff said they will proceed with the DOLA application, finalize the SS4A project list and, if awarded, move into design and construction phases under the grant's five-year implementation window.

Next steps listed by staff include finalizing the prioritized project list using safety-plan data, completing the DOLA match application and the SS4A application, and preparing a post-award schedule that will separate design and construction phases.

Votes at a glance

- Motion: Authorize staff to submit an application to the Colorado Department of Local Affairs local-match program to support the Aurora SS4A safety project (to provide the $2,000,000 local match) — Outcome: approved (committee gave unanimous approval to move forward).