Committee approves $4M USDOT Safe Streets application with $1M city match

The Traffic and Transportation Committee approved a motion to submit an application to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Implementation Grant Program requesting $4 million in grant funds with a required city match of $1 million, for an estimated $5 million in total project funding.

Staff recommendation and vote: staff recommended approval and the committee voted in favor after a motion and second. Staff noted the required 80/20 match if awarded and described the federal grants as highly competitive.

Context: committee members said pedestrian safety is urgent given seasonal visitor traffic and local pedestrian patterns; one committee member thanked Secretary Pal (referenced in the meeting transcript) for a recent meeting in Washington, saying the delegation’s visit helped demonstrate local commitment to transportation safety at the federal level.

What it would fund: the application is described as intended to implement citywide transportation safety projects such as crosswalk upgrades, signal timing adjustments and other countermeasures to improve pedestrian safety; project details will be developed by staff as part of the grant application and implementation process if the award is received.

Next steps: staff will submit the application and pursue federal funding; if awarded, the city would be required to provide a $1 million match and follow federal reporting and procurement requirements.

Speaker-attributed quotes “We keep talking about pedestrian safety...this can't come soon enough,” a committee member said, urging pursuit of the grant. A committee member recalled meeting with "Secretary Pal" and said the federal delegation was impressed by local interest in transportation safety.

Procedural note: grant submission was approved; the application will compete against other jurisdictions and requires a local match if successful.