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This week, the United States Department of Transportation announced awarding Milwaukee County $800,000 in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant funds. Milwaukee County will use the funds to create an SS4A action plan in collaboration with the municipalities within its borders.
“According to preliminary state data, Milwaukee County experienced over 100 fatal accidents last year. Road fatalities and serious injuries are an epidemic that demands action,” said County Executive David Crowley. “I appreciate President Biden and Secretary Buttigieg valuing the urgent need for action to keep our roadways safe and avoid unnecessary deaths. The time is now for collaboration between Milwaukee County and its municipalities to create a comprehensive, data-driven plan to increase safety for all who use our streets and roadways in Milwaukee County. This award moves us closer to that goal and will help us find strategies to keep drivers, bicyclists, transit riders and pedestrians safe.”
The award is part of seven grants for projects in Wisconsin totaling more than $2 million. The competitive grant program, established by President Biden’s historic infrastructure law passed last year, provides $5 billion over five years for regional, local, and Tribal initiatives to prevent deaths and serious injuries on roads in communities across the nation.
“The grant award is a critical piece of funding to help us make mobility in Milwaukee County safer for everyone no matter what part of the county you’re in,” said Milwaukee County Department of Transportation Director Donna Brown-Martin. “Milwaukee County is committed to leading an equitable and inclusive approach to roadway safety and I look forward to working with our municipal partners on mapping a way that advances all of our shared goals.”
Milwaukee County and its municipalities are dedicated to developing and implementing an action plan based on the Complete Communities model, an integrated approach to transportation, land use, and community design for communities that provides a holistic quality of life and meets the needs of people of all ages, abilities, ethnicities, and income levels. To achieve this vision, Milwaukee County will form an intergovernmental task force, consisting of public and private stakeholders, to manage the SS4A Action Plan development. The task force will demonstrate consistent progress toward the project’s goals to eliminate roadway fatalities and significantly reduce serious injuries by 80% by 2028 through evidence-based policy and design interventions in the areas of engineering, education, and enforcement.
Since 2020, Milwaukee County has integrated race and health equity considerations into all policy-making decisions. During the action plan development, the intergovernmental taskforce will overlay underserved census tracts with roadway fatality and injury data to ensure that projects ready for implementation in or near underserved areas are prioritized.
Much needed.
Too much unnecessary death and damage to persons and property.
Underserved areas must come first.
Reckless driving is a public health crisis affecting everyone.
Marian Wasierski
Survivor of a hit and run incident 9/4/22 at 18th and Locust