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Arapahoe County approves applying for Safe Streets for All grant to redesign Parker Road–Florida Avenue intersection
Summary
The Arapahoe County Board of Commissioners gave staff informal approval to apply for a federal Safe Streets for All (SS4A) grant to redesign the Parker Road and Florida Avenue intersection, and agreed to commit $500,000 in local match if the county wins the award.
Arapahoe County officials on Tuesday endorsed pursuing a federal Safe Streets for All grant to rebuild the Parker Road and Florida Avenue intersection, a location staff say has the county’s worst record for severe injuries and fatalities.
Public works staff told commissioners the FHWA grant program prioritizes sites with documented fatalities or incapacitating injuries and requires an adopted safety action plan before application. "We selected the intersection of Parker Road and Florida Avenue for a number of reasons," said Steven Buckley, public works staff, citing more than 184 crashes in the last eight years and 10 serious-injury or fatal collisions.
Buckley described geometric changes the county plans to propose, including relocating medians and left-turn lanes, adding curb extensions and larger pedestrian islands, widening sidewalks and improving signal coordination with the Colorado Department of Transportation by installing fiber interconnections between signals.
Staff estimated a preliminary project cost of about $5 million. The SS4A grant would cover 80 percent of construction costs; CDOT has committed to cover up to half of the local match, and county staff said they can meet a $500,000 local contribution from capital-improvement and bike/ped funding if the grant is awarded.
Michelle Halstedt, in the commissioner's office, asked for clarity about the board’s approval. Staff confirmed the request was to authorize submitting the grant application and to commit $500,000 toward the local match if the county receives the award. Commissioners discussed timing — the safety action plan must be adopted before submission — and funding sources and expressed general support.
The board indicated informal approval by voice and 'thumbs up' for staff to submit the SS4A application and for the county to reserve $500,000 as the local match. Staff said they will return with the final safety action plan for formal adoption and will refine the project cost estimate before grant submission.
The application deadline for the SS4A program was moved up this year; staff said they plan to bring the safety action plan to the board for adoption on May 12, ahead of the grant deadline.
