Feds Announce Vague Road Safety Program

Pinned on concrete curb bump-outs on W. Congress Street at N. 55th Street. Photo by Jeramey Jannene.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) announced a nationwide road safety program earlier this month, but without many details or any funding for local transportation agencies.

It’s called the “Safe Arterials for Everyone through Reliable Operations and Distraction-Reducing Strategies or SAFE ROADS.” U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Secretary Sean Duffy announced the program on June 1 with a letter to governors across the country, telling them, “We are getting back to the basics – using data to guide decision-making and prioritize investments that reduce distraction while improving mobility and safety for all road users.”

The program, which is focused on non-freeway roads, is asking state and local agencies to identify dangerous roads and intersections, to “eliminate distractions” and “make the entire roadway right‑of‑way easier to interpret and navigate for all users, including pedestrians, vehicle operators, and automated vehicles alike,” according to Duffy’s letter.

The program makes distractions along roadways a primary concern. Duffy mentioned it three times in his brief letter. Without specifying what exactly it considers a distraction, the new program makes them a primary concern. “The goal…is to partner with State and local governments to make the entire roadway right‑of‑way easier to interpret and navigate for all users, including pedestrians, vehicle operators, and automated vehicles alike,” he wrote.

“Roads are for safety, not political messages or artwork,” Duffy said. “Today I am calling on governors in every state to ensure that roadways, intersections, and crosswalks are kept free of distractions.”

That information will be submitted to the Federal Highway Administration, which will help local agencies with “technical expertise and resources, including road safety audits and assessments” and “effective safety and operational countermeasures.” 

The resources to effectuate any road safety projects, however, would need to come from the state or local level. The SAFE Roads program isn’t providing additional funding.

USDOT is already administering an intensive, nationwide safety plan created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure bill passed by Congress under former president Joe Biden. The program, called Safe Streets and Roads for All, included $5 billion in federal funding for traffic safety planning and interventions.

The Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) has spent the past three years working through the steps of the program, conducting an extensive analysis of crash data and developing concepts for traffic safety projects. MCDOT recently applied for $25 million to begin implementing some of the road safety projects it has developed.

“At this time, [MCDOT] is waiting for direction and guidance from our state and federal partners in relation to the Safer Roads program,” according to a spokesperson for MCDOT.

The primary difference, beyond the $5 billion in funding available for state and local governments, is that local transportation agencies had to opt into the program. The new SAFE ROADS program is requesting the information from all local agencies.