The U.S. Department of Transportation Wednesday awarded San Diego a $2.25 million grant as part of the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All Program to help fund two pedestrian and bicycle safety plans.
"I want to thank the Biden-Harris Administration and Secretary Pete Buttigieg for this investment in our city," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "These dollars will allow us to update our Bike Master Plan to ensure we are expanding climate-friendly transportation options and improving the safety of our bicycle network.
"In addition, this funding will allow us to develop an Accessible Pedestrian Connections and Safety Plan that will help us improve pedestrian access and safety north of Interstate 8," he added.
Created in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program is a competitive, discretionary grant program focused on improving pedestrian safety.
This is the second consecutive year that San Diego has received funding from the program. Last year, the city received $680,000 to develop a Comprehensive Speed Management Plan, Historically Disadvantaged Community Quick Build Program and Slow Streets Program.
"This funding will be used to identify infrastructure improvement projects with preliminary design that can then be used to apply for future grant funding, spreading this investment even further to improve our city and meet our Climate Action Plan and Vision Zero goals," said Alyssa Muto, director of the city's Department of Sustainability and Mobility.
Specifically, the grant funding will advance and expand the:
— Accessible Pedestrian Connections and Safety Plan to "map pedestrian connectivity areas and identify key accessibility and safety-related deficiencies along pedestrian networks in communities north of Interstate 8," building on similar grant-funded work that is already programmed in the southern part of the city, officials said.
— Bike Master Plan Update to help the city meet current and expected needs of its bike lane network, including "a focus on safe routes for children in local schools, create engineering designs for key locations in alignment with Vision Zero, and to complement the existing bicycle network with improved bike parking opportunities," the city statement reads.
