The U.S. Department of Transportation recently awarded the New York State Thruway Authority with a $1.2 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant.
The Thruway Authority applied for the grant in July. Funding will be used to develop a comprehensive safety action plan for the 570-mile Thruway corridor that includes actionable strategies for achieving safety goals.
Goals include decreasing the number of employee injuries, implementing training opportunities for employees and contractors, reducing the number of incidents and fatalities, and reducing the number of traffic related work zone incidents.
“Safety is at the core of everything we do at the Thruway Authority, and we are firmly committed to providing a safe and reliable highway for our motorists and employees,” Frank G. Hoare, Thruway Authority acting executive director, said. “This grant will help us develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan that will increase the safety of our roadway by identifying and implementing strategies that create life-saving enhancements across the Thruway system.”
Agency partners, community stakeholders and the public will contribute to the plan. A community outreach campaign is planned.
The Thruway Authority is providing an additional $300,000 to fund the plan.
The nearly 70-year-old Thruway system has a fatality rate was 0.16 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled.