City of Savannah, GA
City of Savannah, GA
10/09/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 10/09/2024 21:17
City’s Vision Zero Program Receives $9.9 Million Federal Grant to Enhance 37th Street Corridor
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 10, 2024
CONTACT:
Office of Communications
City's Vision Zero Program Receives $9.9 Million Federal Grant to Enhance 37th Street Corridor
SAVANNAH - The City of Savannah's Vision Zero Program has been awarded a $9.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to enhance safety at intersections along 37th Street.
The grant was announced last week as a part of $1 billion in new funding released by the U.S. Department of Transportation out of the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program. Along with Savannah, funding has gone directly to 354 local, regional, and tribal communities to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries.
The new funding for Vision Zero will target 15 intersections along 37th Street, which will be upgraded with updated signals, dedicated left turns, sidewalks, crosswalks, and extended bicycle lanes. The City will match the grant funding of $9,999,520 with $2,499,880 for a total project cost of $12,499,400.
In February of 2022, City Council passed a resolution implementing the Vision Zero Initiative which was followed by the completion of the Vision Zero Action Plan in September of that year. The plan identified 37th Street as a high-injury network and recommended the street be a high priority for improvements.
Approximately 970 crashes were recorded between 2018 and 2022 along the major east-west connector that links the middle of Savannah to I-16 access. The corridor is one of the City's highest risk roadways with a high number of intersections and turning crashes involving pedestrian fatalities.
The grant funding will assist new planning activities that will meet several objectives including capturing the most recent safety data, identifying impacts of the improvements, and engaging the public and Vision Zero Task Force in the planning of improvements along the street.
The City of Savannah will hold an event in October to celebrate the grant award with stakeholders. Details on the event will be released once finalized.
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SAVZ: Savannah Vision Zero
The City of Savannah has committed to providing responsible protections for the health, safety, and welfare of its residents, including access to safe streets, sidewalks, and transportation. The Vision Zero Program is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe, healthy, equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero prioritizes building and sustaining leadership, collaboration, and accountability among a diverse group of stakeholders in the Vision Zero Task Force. To learn more visit savannahga.gov/visionzero.