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Appomattox board backs regional Safe Streets plan to cut fatal and serious crashes
Summary
The Appomattox County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to adopt a resolution supporting the Central Virginia Safety Action Plan, a USDOT-funded Safe Streets and Roads initiative that targets a 50% reduction in fatal and serious crashes by 2045 and identifies a local "high injury network."
Appomattox County on May 11 adopted a resolution formally supporting the Central Virginia Safety Action Plan, making the county eligible to pursue federal funds through the USDOT's Safe Streets and Roads for All program.
Kelly Hancock, deputy director of planning at the Central Virginia Planning District Commission, told the board the region received a $280,000 USDOT award with a $70,000 local match to develop a data-driven plan that pinpoints areas with high numbers of fatal and serious crashes. Hancock said the plan identifies a "high injury network" (roughly 5% of roadways where about half of fatal and serious incidents occur) and sets a regional goal to reduce fatal and serious crashes by 50% by 2045.
Hancock gave county-level counts from 2018'2023: the region recorded 220 traffic deaths and 1,680 serious injuries, and Appomattox accounted for 21 of the deaths and 112 of the serious-injury incidents. She emphasized the plan is goal-driven and does not legally bind the county to implement every engineering recommendation.
Supervisors asked how specific recommendations would be vetted. Hancock said engineering suggestions (for example, converting an intersection to right-in/right-out on portions of US-460) were developed by consultants (EPR with subcontractor Kimberly Horne) and reviewed by VDOT staff, but that adoption of the plan does not require the county to carry out every listed change; it primarily enables eligibility for federal funding and provides a prioritized set of recommended countermeasures.
Reverend Jones moved to adopt the resolution; the motion was seconded and passed by unanimous voice vote. With the vote, Appomattox formally joined the regional safety action plan and the USDOT program.
The board's next steps include using the plan to prioritize safety projects and coordinating future project-level study and funding applications with VDOT and local stakeholders.
