County hears Safe Streets for All plan and approves $61,750 Foresight addendum to keep mapping and grant work active

The Barrow County Commission received a presentation on a draft Safe Streets for All (SS4A) comprehensive safety action plan from Eric Stevens of the Foresight Group, who outlined a county 'injury network' of high‑priority road segments and a menu of near‑, mid‑ and long‑term countermeasures to reduce serious crashes and fatalities.

"Essentially, there's 1000000000 dollars per year that have been allocated for this program," Stevens said, describing the federal SS4A funding stream and the federal emphasis on Vision Zero‑style countermeasures. He summarized recommended countermeasures ranging from speed feedback signs and lighting improvements to pedestrian and bicycle gap closure and longer‑term geometric realignments or roundabouts at key intersections. The consultant said staff and stakeholders (fire, police, school board and medical community) were engaged in an 11‑month process, and that the packet includes detailed maps and a draft analysis memorandum.

Following the presentation, commissioners praised staff work and authorized an addendum to the Foresight Group contract for $61,750 to retain GIS data collection and mapping for 12 months, provide a web‑based transparency dashboard, and assist county staff with grant application work toward implementation and future discretionary SS4A funding opportunities. County staff said if the funding is not used it must be returned, and described next steps for finalizing memoranda and potentially returning to the commission for adoption of the plan and project prioritization.

The SS4A plan and the contract addendum are intended to position the county to apply for federal SS4A implementation grants in the spring cycle and to build a project pipeline that addresses the corridors identified in the draft analysis.