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Moses Lake council authorizes application for federal 'Safe Streets for All' planning and demo funds, eyes Broadway pop‑up roundabout
Summary
Council authorized staff to apply for an SS4A federal grant to prepare a citywide road safety plan and fund temporary 'quick‑build' demonstrations (modular roundabouts, beacons). Staff proposed a Broadway (Triggs/Broadway) modular roundabout pilot; council asked for guardrails on local control, match amounts (~20%), and options for alternative sites such as Paxton/Valley and Hansen/frontage.
City staff asked the Moses Lake City Council on May 18 for permission to apply for the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets for All (SS4A) planning and demonstration grant. The program provides planning dollars for a comprehensive road safety plan and permits temporary demonstration projects intended to test solutions and collect community feedback.
Levi Bznet, presenting the opportunity, said SS4A funds support both planning and rapid demonstration efforts and allow cities to collect the data needed to compete for larger federal infrastructure grants. "What this allows us to do is receive some planning dollars to develop a comprehensive plan to address some of the safety concerns within the city... and with that road safety plan that council would adopt, we would be able to go after federal dollars saying that we've done our due diligence," he said.
Staff recommended a demonstration modular roundabout on Broadway at Triggs as a potential pop‑up project tied to a developer's plans to improve access along the corridor. Councilmembers expressed general support for pursuing the grant but stressed several priorities: local control over final designs, avoidance of one‑size‑fits‑all prescriptions, clear community engagement, and understanding the local match requirement (federal grants typically fund up to 80% of eligible costs, leaving a 20% local match). Deputy Mayor Myers and Council Member Lombardi asked staff to ensure the plan centers local priorities and to be explicit about which demonstration projects the city would pursue.
Council action: Council authorized staff to apply for the SS4A grant opportunity; the motion passed.
Why it matters: An adopted road safety plan would unlock eligibility for larger federal safety grants (up to $25 million) and allow Moses Lake to test corridor‑level interventions before committing to permanent construction. The council's direction emphasized community input and preserving local decision‑making authority over street design.
Next steps: Staff will prepare the application (due May 26), identify priority corridors and demonstration concepts, and return to council before accepting any awarded grant to secure the local match and define pilot scope.
