This year, rural communities grappling with dangerous roads secured close to $350 million in funding to enhance safety—a significant shift compared to previous years, which a YSL News investigation revealed overlooked these areas in earlier federal Safe Streets and Roads for All grant distributions.

This information comes from a YSL News review of over $1 billion in new grants recently revealed by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

Previously, during the first two years of this initiative, most funding was directed to wealthier counties with lower fatality rates, as the investigation highlighted. Additionally, the agency faced challenges in attracting sufficient applications to fully utilize available grant funds.

As of this year, department officials have distributed traffic safety project grants to more than 200 rural communities, including:

• $25.5 million awarded to Bluefield, West Virginia, a small coal town set to develop bike lanes, sidewalks, and roundabouts for the safety of students and pedestrians near a historically black university that has seen several fatal crashes;
• $3.3 million for Henderson, Kentucky, a farming community where vehicle accidents often occur after drivers veer off the road. Improvements will include clearer signage, wider shoulders, and the removal of roadside hazards;
• $5.6 million for Macon, Georgia, to create new sidewalks, crosswalks, and lighting on a roadway that local residents compare to a Formula 1 racing track. With a pedestrian death rate approximately five times the national average, city officials believe these upgrades will benefit seniors in public housing and students at nearby schools.

“Our goal with this program is ‘Safe Streets for All,'” stated Mark Willrett, the public works director in rural Klamath Falls, Oregon, which received $2 million. “All communities, both small and large, should benefit from this,” he explained, noting that this objective is now being realized.

Although the administration has made a concerted effort to direct infrastructure funds toward communities in need, officials from the transportation department had not reached out directly to high-fatality rate areas in the initial two years of the program. This approach shifted this year, when YSL News requested documentation of the department’s outreach efforts to struggling communities.

Now entering its third year, the federal transportation department has allocated funds to rural localities that are nearly equivalent to what was granted to these areas in the previous two years combined, as indicated by records released in September.

The rise in funding is particularly notable among “disadvantaged” or “underserved” communities—those identified by the federal agency as facing greater challenges related to housing and transportation costs, among other issues.

Fund allocations for street improvements in underserved rural areas have surged almost 600% since the program’s inception compared to a meager 13% hike in underserved urban regions since last year.

Overall, there is an increase in rural funding, which now constitutes 32% of the total, up from 21% in the previous year, based on the department’s records reviewed by YSL News. With one more funding round anticipated in November, these figures for 2024 remain preliminary.

However, this trend reversed this year, propelled by the YSL News inquiry published in February. For the 2024 allocations, more than two-thirds of rural funding is aimed at underserved communities—nearly double the previous years’ share for these areas.

What Is Causing This Change?

“It wasn’t just one factor; there were multiple reasons. We took a comprehensive and strategic approach to enhance outreach to these communities,” commented Mariia Zimmerman, the principal deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy.

One factor contributing to the improvement is the agency’s focused outreach to metropolitan planning organizations. These collaborations help smaller towns coordinate when they are planning traffic safety initiatives.

According to Zimmerman, personnel from the department pinpointed areas with high fatality rates in states that received fewer grants in the initial two years of the program. They reached out to over 750 communities in 2024 and held meetings with more than 120 to promote Safe Streets applications. As a result, she noted that over 50 received grants during this round.

This targeted outreach was not in place until last fall when YSL News first sought information on the agency’s promotional efforts for the program. Previously, the staff primarily relied on newsletters, webinars, and external organizations for dissemination of information.

Additionally, the department found a way to reallocate unused planning funds towards the development of more traffic safety projects.

Established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law in 2021, the Safe Streets program divides funds into two categories: planning grants and implementation grants. Implementation grants are typically in the millions and are used for actual construction and improvements of hazardous streets, while the smaller “planning and demonstration” grants focus on examining problematic areas and experimenting with quick-build methods to enhance road safety.

Congress decided to allocate 40% of the budget for planning and 60% for implementation, a division Zimmerman referred to as a “design challenge for the program.”

“From the beginning, we were concerned about whether a 40% allocation for planning was too high, as we wanted to see more funding used for implementation,” Zimmerman remarked.

During the program’s first two years, the agency couldn’t gather enough applications to utilize all the planning funds, leaving around $200 million unspent at the beginning of this year. In March, Congress permitted the agency to redirect these funds to support implementation projects instead. Zimmerman expressed that they are observing whether Congress will allow this shift for the 2025 awards as well.

Regarding why only a third of rural funds were given to underserved communities in the program’s inaugural year, Zimmerman indicated it was likely due to the framework established by Congress, which requires applicants for implementation funds to already have developed a traffic safety action plan.

“It’s probably the better-resourced communities that were in a position to create an action plan, and those with the knowledge of the infrastructure law; perhaps with lobbyists and grant writers who could navigate these processes,” Zimmerman explained.

Now, three years into the program, the agency is witnessing repeat grant winners, noted Zimmerman, including rural areas that initially received planning grants and are now eligible to secure implementation funds. She specifically mentioned Bluefield, West Virginia, as an example, which contributes to this year’s significant rise in rural funding.

The transportation department does not enforce a specific ratio for distributing funds between rural and urban applicants within this program, Zimmerman clarified. Records from the department indicate that rural areas received about 20 cents of every dollar awarded in the first two years, but this increased to around 32 cents this year.

“While it’s ambitious, our goal is to achieve zero roadway fatalities in every community,” Zimmerman expressed, highlighting that data reveals a notably higher fatality rate in rural regions. “We are increasingly seeing a balanced allocation between urban and rural areas to better address the safety concerns within our communities and to move towards our goal of zero deaths on the roads.”

Henderson County, Kentucky: traffic fatalities nearly twice the national rate

“Rural applicants are not getting a fair opportunity. Counties are being overlooked,” a staff member from the transportation department noted in an internal record that YSL News obtained through a public records request late last year.

This comment was in reference to a discussion with Nicholas Stallings, the roads engineer for rural Henderson County, Kentucky, after his application for Safe Streets funding was declined in 2022.

After two years and two attempts, Stallings finally succeeded in securing over $3 million to improve about a third of the roads in his county.

Stallings told YSL News, “I worked on that application by myself without the advantage of additional resources, and over the course of three years, I dedicated at least 300 hours—many of them during evenings and weekends—reviewing numerous road safety plans from other towns and compiling the application.”

“Some cities have 10 or 15 engineers collaborating on the process,” Stallings pointed out. “It’s unfair to put smaller communities at a disadvantage just because they can’t afford to put together an extensive application.”

The difficulties Stallings highlights among under-resourced and rural communities were key findings in YSL News’s investigation conducted earlier this year. The lack of grant writing expertise and personnel significantly affects their ability to secure funding compared to larger cities, which often win multiple awards; for instance, Detroit has an 18-member grant writing team and has received about $60 million in Safe Streets funding.

Henderson’s safety issues stem from driver distractions, which often lead to accidents, such as running off the road or colliding with another vehicle on tight roadways. An analysis from YSL News shows that annually, around 22 out of every 100,000 residents in the county die in traffic accidents, which is almost twice the national average of 12 deaths per 100,000 people.

“I don’t want to get emotional, but I have children who will eventually be driving,” stated Stallings. “Just because someone has a momentary lapse in concentration shouldn’t cost them their life, right?”

This funding will support practical and straightforward measures to give drivers additional space and time to regain control when unexpected situations arise on the road. Plans include removing trees, ditches, and other roadside impediments while also broadening shoulder widths to provide drivers with more room to maneuver if they stray from their lane.

Stallings emphasized the importance of showcasing the county’s capability to effectively manage a significant monetary award. His grant application had to demonstrate a clear plan, indicating that they wouldn’t simply receive the funds and remain inactive.

“Smaller towns often achieve a lot with a couple million dollars compared to larger cities with higher construction costs and labor expenses,” Stallings noted.

Bluefield, West Virginia: deadly accidents on tight mountain roads

Over the past three years in this grant program, the majority of the largest awards have gone to big cities—areas with higher populations and typically more traffic-related fatalities.

Metropolitan areas such as New York, Houston, Atlanta, and Seattle have been more likely to secure grants exceeding $25 million compared to rural locations like Bluefield, West Virginia.

This made Bluefield’s $25.5 million grant—the largest Safe Streets grant awarded to a rural area—particularly exciting for City Manager Cecil Marson upon receiving the call from his senator’s office.

“For a moment, everything felt surreal. Once the mayor and I gathered ourselves from the shock, we were truly thrilled,” Marson recalled.

“Investments like this have been scarce,” Mayor Ron Martin commented. “For those of us working to improve the livability of our community, it’s exhilarating.”

In the late 1800s, when the coal industry thrived, road development in Bluefield was largely practical rather than safety-oriented, resulting in narrow pathways through mountainous terrain, often disregarding issues such as erosion from heavy rainfall. Records indicate that in just recent years, eight individuals lost their lives in traffic accidents in this small town.

“Suddenly having this financial support will allow us to create safer routes,” Martin stated.

While Stallings in Henderson County achieved a grant without any professional consultancy support, Bluefield allocated approximately $100,000 from leftover COVID funds to hire an engineering firm to assist with their application, according to Marson.

Marson expressed admiration for his team, stating they were highly skilled. Nevertheless, securing grants carries risks.

“We transformed a $100,000 grant into $31 million,” Marson shared, noting a $6 million matching grant from the state. “It’s a significant achievement for us.”

This investment is not without its uncertainties; hiring consultants does not guarantee success. There’s always a chance of receiving a less favorable outcome, as Marson remarked, stating that such responses are common in federal grant processes.

Klamath Falls, situated east of Oregon’s Cascade Mountains and home to 22,000 residents, also opted to take the risk and successfully secured $2 million aimed at enhancing several intersections that have experienced numerous accidents recently. An investigation by YSL News highlighted specific locations where Klamath Falls plans to allocate Safe Streets funding, identified as hazardous corridors in need of investment.

The strategy involves placing reinforced curbs between lanes to reduce driving speeds while turning, expanding sidewalk curbs into the roadway, adding pedestrian signal timers, and clearing sightlines by relocating plants and parking spaces.

The transportation department of Oregon sponsored Klamath Falls, showcasing a proactive approach to improving road safety.

Falls has received a $100,000 grant aimed at creating a safety plan that is essential for securing federal funding, as shared by Willrett, the city’s public works director. The city also engaged a lobbying firm to assist with their application and to collect letters of endorsement from local senators.

“We lack adequate resources in traffic engineering, which is quite a specialized area,” remarked Willrett, pointing out that the city employs only a few planning staff. He noted the consulting firm they collaborated with is “well-acquainted with our community,” having partnered on traffic safety projects for almost 20 years.

Over the past three years, Oregon has secured more than $43 million through the Safe Streets program, with the bulk of these funds directed at areas surrounding Portland, the state’s largest city. The recent multimillion-dollar grant awarded to Klamath Falls is three times the previous highest Safe Streets grant given to a rural community in Oregon.

Macon, Georgia: Six Lanes “Like Formula 1” and No Sidewalks

The outlook for rural grant applicants appears to be improving this year.

So far, rural areas have secured close to $350 million in funding this year, not counting additional grants expected to be disclosed in November. This amount is similar to what rural regions received during the previous two years combined, with $160 million allocated in 2022 and $190 million in 2023.

Most of the Safe Streets funding is directed toward implementation grants, highlighting a significant change in how the transportation department distributes funding.

A recent analysis by YSL News revealed that in the first year of the program, $31 million of these implementation grants went to rural towns that serve underserved communities. This year, that number soared to $211 million, marking an increase of nearly 600%. In contrast, funding for implementation grants benefiting underserved communities in urban areas only rose by 13%.

The transportation department classifies “rural” as communities with populations below 200,000, therefore, even Macon, which is the fourth largest city in Georgia, is considered rural.

On the fringe of Macon, pedestrians have formed “desire” trails through the grass, establishing a makeshift half-mile path to Walmart where sidewalks end on Gray Highway. They navigate perilously close to six lanes of traffic that are described by a resident’s Facebook comment as treating Gray Highway like “Formula 1.”

In this low-income neighborhood, fewer residents own vehicles, which exacerbates the risk created by the absence of sidewalks, crosswalks, and street lighting. The rate of pedestrian fatalities here is significantly higher than the national average.

Despite these concerning statistics making Macon a prime candidate for grants, internal documents obtained through a records request indicated that federal officials rated Macon’s initial application in 2022 as “highly recommended,” yet they were overlooked.

The federal agency suggested that local leaders involve Macon residents more in the process. In response, Stroud and his team organized public meetings and surveys to gather community feedback.

Stroud believes that engaging the public ultimately contributed to Macon’s success in securing a $5.6 million grant this month, marking their third application effort. His immediate intention upon receiving the news was to reconnect with the residents to involve them in the subsequent phases of the project.

“Often in historically marginalized communities, residents feel that changes are imposed on them rather than created in partnership,” Stroud observed. “The community desires to have a voice in this process and to feel they have authority alongside city employees.”

Local authorities appointed Stroud as Macon’s first traffic safety manager at the start of this year and have allocated over $1 million for pedestrian safety initiatives in recent years, according to Stroud. He believes these proactive measures have illustrated the seriousness of their commitment to traffic safety, adding competitiveness to Macon’s application this year.

“It’s evident that we’ve been consistently working on this,” Stroud noted. “They can see our investment in this matter. It was time for federal support to recognize that as well.”