Massachusetts Congressional Delegation Announces $30 Million in Safe Streets Grants to 17 Communities

In full transparency, the following is a press release submitted to SOURCE media.

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WASHINGTON DC – The Massachusetts congressional delegation, Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Representatives Richard Neal (MA-01), Jim McGovern (MA-02), Lori Trahan (MA-03), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Democratic Whip Katherine Clark (MA-05), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), and Bill Keating (MA-09), today, February 3, applauded an announcement from the U.S. Department of Transportation that it will award $30 million in grants to 17 communities across Massachusetts from its Safe Streets for All program.

The lawmakers helped create the Safe Streets for All program as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

“Massachusetts roadways shouldn’t be dangerous to cross or pose a risk to pedestrians and cyclists,” said Senator Markey. “As motor vehicle deaths increase nationwide, we must meet this road safety crisis with investments in historically underserved neighborhoods. These federal grants will help make our roadways safer across Massachusetts—from the Berkshires and Springfield to the Merrimack Valley, Boston, and the Cape—moving our Commonwealth one step closer to achieving zero roadway fatalities. I am proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver safe, accessible, and equitable transportation solutions for our state.”

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“Thanks to the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, this $30 million grant will help cities and towns across the Commonwealth improve road-way infrastructure, develop a comprehensive road safety plan, and prevent fatal and serious pedestrian and cyclist injuries,” said Senator Warren. “I’m grateful to have worked with the Massachusetts delegation and local and state partners to secure these investments for the safety of our families and communities.”

“Once again, President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is delivering results for the people of Massachusetts,” said Congressman Neal. “The gradual decline in federal infrastructure investments has resulted in the deterioration of America’s roads, putting drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists at risk. This $30 million provides our cities the necessary funding for much needed repairs and improvements. I am particularly delighted to deliver more than $15 million for the City of Springfield to address safety issues at fifteen intersections and ten corridors throughout the City, areas I am all too familiar with. These are longstanding issues that will finally be addressed.”

“Nothing has been more instrumental in helping Americans get where they need to go than the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” said Congressman McGovern. “The Department of Transportation’s creation of the Safe Streets for All program and its award of $30 million to 17 communities in Massachusetts, is a direct result of the Biden Administration and House Democrats’ passage of the BIL and our commitment to investing in every zip code across America. I’m particularly pleased that the City of Worcester and the Montachusett Regional Planning Commission will receive $200,000 and $750,000, respectively, to create safety action plans that will ensure motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can navigate our beautiful Commonwealth with the confidence that they are better protected.”

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“As a mom, I know there’s nothing more important than the safety of our children. I want to know that the roads we’re driving on, the intersections we’re crossing, and the bike lanes we ride in are as safe as possible,” said Congresswoman Trahan. “That’s why I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is delivering funds through the Safe Streets for All program to make long overdue safety improvements in communities across the Commonwealth. I couldn’t be more excited to see this funding get put to use here in the Third District.”

“Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg’s National Roadway Safety Strategy has set an ambitious goal of achieving zero deaths and serious injuries on our nation’s roadways. We will not achieve that goal without seismic changes in transportation infrastructure, including the elevation of the Complete Streets approach that Massachusetts pioneered,” said Congressman Auchincloss.

“The funding headed to Massachusetts through the Safe Streets for All program is an important step forward in Democrats’ work to build safer communities,” said Democratic Whip Katherine Clark. “Secured through President Biden’s Infrastructure Law, this investment will improve and modernize our roads – bolstering the safety of drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. I’m proud to deliver these resources and will continue working in Washington to improve and save lives here at home.” 

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“Traffic deaths are on the rise. It is so important that cities and towns across Massachusetts are better prepared with comprehensive plans for reducing these completely unnecessary tragedies. I’m glad that Salem is among the many communities to receive this funding to make our streets safer, and I hope to see even more communities added to this list in the future,” said Congressman Moulton. “As the author of the Safe Drivers Act, safer streets is a priority for my team and I’m thankful for the partnership of the Senators Markey, Warren, and the rest of the delegation.

“Public safety and transportation are inextricably linked, and it’s imperative that we make federal investments to improve our roadways for motorists, pedestrians, and cyclists across the Massachusetts 7th and beyond,” said Congresswoman Pressley. “This federal funding is welcome news and will expand transportation options for our growing neighborhoods while helping to prevent tragedies that have become far too common for commuters in Somerville, East Boston, Dorchester and Roxbury.”

“I am pleased to see communities across the Commonwealth continue to receive funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will improve pedestrian and transportation safety,” said Congressman Lynch. “This funding will allow our cities and towns to make critical repairs to roadways that pose a risk to travelers and improve safety conditions to help prevent further motor vehicle accidents. I am grateful for the collective support of all my Massachusetts colleagues to ensure our communities continue to receive the necessary federal funding to keep our roadways updated, safe and secure.”

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“As cars become safer, it is vital that our streets become safer as well,” said Congressman Keating. “These Safe Streets for All grants will enable the regional planning agencies in Southeastern Massachusetts to develop the comprehensive plans necessary to make our roadways safer. I am proud of my support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I applaud the Department of Transportation for empowering our local agencies.”

Specifically, this federal funding will support communities across Massachusetts in mitigating on-road fatalities and serious injuries. The grants include more than $2 million for the Boston Metropolitan Area to develop a comprehensive road safety plan, as well as $9 million for the City of Boston to improve nine street intersections in reducing the speed of drivers at pedestrian crosswalks.

The City of Springfield will receive more than $15 million to improve road-way infrastructure, such as intersections and sidewalks, to prevent fatal and serious pedestrian and cyclist injuries.

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Additionally, the Cities of Worcester, Salem, and Somerville; the Towns of Dedham, Nantucket, Southbridge, Ware, and Weymouth; and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission, Montachusett Regional Planning Commission, Old Colony Planning Council, Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District, Cape Cod Commission, and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission will each receive federal funding to develop or implement comprehensive safety action plans for the communities they serve.

In September 2022, Senator Markey led a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission and the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments’ application for a safety planning grant from the Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All program. The grant will help the regions – including Haverhill, Lawrence, Lowell, and Methuen – create an all-inclusive and equity-focused road safety plan in communities with large immigrant populations and where transit accidents are more likely to occur.