The National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) awarded $250,000 in funding to four local projects that have the potential to improve safety on the region’s roadways, especially for its underserved communities, and decrease the number of traffic fatalities and injuries.
Awarded through the TPB’s Regional Roadway Safety Program, the four projects will receive expert consultant services to help with planning and design.
Important factors in the selection process included a focus on serving Equity Emphasis Areas (areas with larger concentrations of minority and low-income populations), opportunities to identify and design safety improvements, and collaboration among jurisdictions and agencies, among other criteria.
The four projects include:
- Roadway Safety Audits for Wheeler Road & Brooks Drive (Prince George’s County) - $60,000
Roadway safety audits to identify traffic safety issues faced by pedestrians and bicyclists on Wheeler Road and Brooks Drive and design recommendations for safety improvements along these segments.
- Multimodal Upgrades to Walker Mill Road (Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission/ Prince George’s County) - $60,000
A study of Walker Mill Road between Ritchie Road and Beechnut Road to determine the optimal bicycle and pedestrian facilities and crossing accommodations and address safety impacts of the buildout of Walker Mill Regional Park.
- Beall Avenue Protected Intersections Feasibility Study (City of Rockville) - $50,000
A feasibility study to identify the most effective safety improvements for intersections at Beall Avenue and develop three alternative concept designs for each intersection.
- Duke Street at S. Patrick and S. Henry Streets Safety Improvements (City of Alexandria) - $80,000
Develop design improvements at two Duke Street intersections that will address the most pressing safety concerns at these locations in order to create a safe environment for all travelers and neighborhood residents.
Projects were selected by a panel that included representatives from the Maryland Highway Safety Office, District Department of Transportation, Virginia Department of Transportation, and TPB staff.
Projects are to begin after staff and the jurisdictions complete the consultant selection process. The scheduled completion date for all projects will be set for June 30, 2023.
This action is a result of the TPB’s priority to understand and reduce the unacceptable number of injuries and fatalities occurring on the region’s roadways. The TPB adopted its regional roadway safety policy in July 2020, endorsing a set of shared actions and strategies that advance roadway safety and equity.
The next application period will open in January 2023.
MORE: About the Regional Roadway Safety Program