At its monthly meeting, members of the National Capital Region Transportation Planning Board (TPB) approved support for eight local planning projects that work to improve roadway safety across the region. The projects will receive $550,000 total in short-term consultant assistance as part of the Fiscal Year 2024 TPB Regional Roadway Safety Program (RRSP).
The RRSP provides up to $80,000 in short-term consultant assistance to local planning and preliminary engineering projects that address roadway safety issues and contribute to a reduction in fatal and serious injury crashes. This is the fourth round of funding since the program’s inception in 2021.
Funding priorities for the program include safety improvements for low-income and minority communities, improving road user behavior, greater understanding of safety data, and cross-jurisdictional safety improvements.
Seven of the eight projects are located within or will benefit Equity Emphasis Areas (EEAs), census tracts in our region with high concentrations of traditionally underserved communities, such as low-income individuals and/or traditionally disadvantaged racial and ethnic population groups.
The following projects were approved for funding:
Jefferson-Patrick Redesign Study
City of Frederick, $80,000
This project will develop preliminary engineering designs that redesign a five-way intersection at S. Jefferson Street, Prospect Boulevard, and Pearl Street. The project will additionally provide design recommendations for three main corridors in the City to enhance walkability, bikability, and safety.
Local Roadway Safety Plan - Identifying, Analyzing and Prioritizing Roadway Safety Improvements
City of Gaithersburg, $60,000
This project will develop a Local Road Safety Plan (LRSP) that provides a framework to guide roadway safety improvements in the City. The LRSP would include a prioritization of safety issues, risks, actions, and improvements and would inform the City's capital improvement planning.
Bel Pre Road Safety Improvement Project
Montgomery County, $80,000
This project will develop preliminary engineering designs of safety improvements proposed for Bel Pre Road, a four-lane arterial with a history of serious injury and fatal crashes. The corridor falls within an Equity Emphasis Area community.
Pedestrian Crossing Guidelines
City of Rockville, $40,000
This project will develop a set of guidelines to help City staff identify and implement pedestrian crossing treatments as part of its Vision Zero program. The guidelines would help City staff to account for a variety of variables and to select the most effective facilities for crossing improvements.
Pedestrian Lighting Improvements Study
City of Alexandria, $80,000
This project will conduct a study of pedestrian lighting needs in key areas. The study would evaluate lighting best practices, identify and evaluate priority areas for lighting improvements, and develop lighting recommendations.
Regionwide, Data-Driven Anti-Drunk Driving Campaign
Arlington County, $80,000
This project will evaluate regional alcohol-related crash patterns and factors, research successful strategies to reduce impaired driving, and produce a strategic package of public education recommendations to foster a consistent anti-drunk driving message across the region.
Main Street Corridor Roadway Safety Audit
City of Fairfax, $80,000
This project will conduct a roadway safety audit of Main Street, a 1.7-mile arterial in the City of Fairfax where 250 roadway crashes were reported over a five-year period, including two pedestrian fatalities.
Darbydale/Forestdale Avenue Corridor Retrofitting Project
Prince William County, $50,000
This project will prepare preliminary engineering designs to retrofit safety countermeasures in the Darbydale/Forestdale Avenue corridor. The corridor is identified as a priority location in the County's 2022 Roadway Incident Management Program (RIMP) based on crash incidents, touches two Equity Emphasis Areas, and includes a middle school.