02/06/2023 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 02/06/2023 12:53
U.S. Senators Chris Van Hollen and Ben Cardin and Congressmen Steny H. Hoyer, Dutch Ruppersberger, John Sarbanes, Kweisi Mfume, Jamie Raskin, David Trone and Glenn Ivey (all D-Md.) today announced $42,882,024 in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding, through the Safe Streets for All grant program, for Maryland localities to upgrade outdated roadway infrastructure and improve safety. Statewide recipients include:
According to a recent report released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration last month, an estimated 31,785 people - including 403 individuals in Maryland - lost their lives to traffic crashes between January 2022 and September 2022.
"The number of roadway fatalities across our country is alarming and unacceptable," said the lawmakers. "This new influx of federal grant funding that we worked to deliver through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will ensure communities across our state are able to reverse the dangerous trends in traffic injuries and fatalities through necessary infrastructure upgrades and proven safety countermeasures. Team Maryland will keep working to strengthen safety across our transportation networks."
The funding was secured through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets for All Program, a new competitive grant program authorized through the IIJA. These funds can be used to support state and local government and transit agency planning initiatives, such as comprehensive safety action plans, to prevent death and serious injury for all roadway users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation and micromobility users, motorists and commercial vehicle operators. The Safe Streets For All grant program will invest $5 billion in the nation's roadways over the next five years.