City of Talladega awarded $280,000 SS4A grant
February 2, 2023
(Talladega, AL) The City of Talladega has been awarded $280,000 from the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant Program.
On February 1, 2023, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced a historic $800 million in grant awards for 510 projects through the SS4A Grant Program. Talladega is one of eight Alabama communities to be awarded a SS4A grant. The competitive grant program, established by President Biden’s historic infrastructure law, provides $5 billion over five years for regional, local, and Tribal initiatives — from redesigned roads to better sidewalks and crosswalks — to prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.
“We have been aggressively seeking and applying for grants and other funds that will help improve Talladega’s infrastructure. The Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant is a planning grant that the city applied for through USDOT - the U.S. Department of Transportation,” said City Manager Seddrick Hill Sr. “This funding allows us to conduct an extensive study and create a plan for increasing road safety.”
“This could mean expanding sidewalks to help create a safer and more walkable community for all residents and visitors, including those using personal mobility devices and those who are blind and/or deaf. It might include adding bicycle lanes or making other changes that will ultimately make our city a better place to live, work and play. The grant is specifically for the study, which will help us determine how to proceed.”
A release from USDOT reports that traffic fatalities reached a 16-year high in 2021 and preliminary data indicates that fatalities remained near those levels in 2022. The release notes that statistics are “getting worse for people walking, biking, or rolling as well as incidents involving trucks.” It cites a new report showing that the economic impact of traffic crashes was $340 billion in 2019 alone.
“Every year, crashes cost tens of thousands of American lives and hundreds of billions of dollars to our economy; we face a national emergency on our roadways, and it demands urgent action,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proud that these grants will directly support hundreds of communities as they prepare steps that are proven to make roadways safer and save lives.”