U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced nearly $1 billion in funding will be made available directly to cities, towns, counties, Tribal governments and metropolitan planning organizations for road safety projects.
The $982 million in Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants will be made available without DEI and environmental justice requirements, Duffy said. The SS4A program was created as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act which allocated $5 billion in funding for the program between 2022 and 2026.
“This is another great step in our department’s work to refocus on what the American people care about: safety,” Duffy said. “DEI and environmental justice requirements for the Safe Streets program weren’t just unnecessary – they were bogging down the system and preventing money from going out to where it’s needed. I’m pleased with the Department’s effort to update this important program and encourage communities across the country to apply for this funding to reduce road fatalities and make our roads safe again.”
The DOT said language, such as “the Department seeks to fund applications that address equity and environmental justice…” and “Projects, strategies, and demonstration activities must have equity—the consistent, fair, just, and impartial treatment of all people—at their foundation,” and “Equity definition: The consistent and systematic fair, just, and impartial treatment of all individuals, including individuals who belong to underserved communities that have been denied such treatment, such as Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native Americans, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality” would be eliminated from the application.
The SS4A program supports projects to reduce the number of deaths and/or serious injuries on the country’s highways, streets and roads. The Notice of Funding Opportunity will be available on the DOT’s website. Duffy said MPOs, counties, cities, towns, other special districts that are subdivisions of a state, certain transit agencies, federally recognized Tribal governments, and multijurisdictional groups are eligible to apply.