LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In a federal effort to drive down the number of deaths on roads, the Biden administration on Wednesday announced more than 500 grants for cities and counties across the country, including over $21 million for the Louisville metro area.
What You Need To Know
- Louisville received over $21 million to improve roadway safety along 10 notoriously unsafe corridors
- The project will add road diets, mini roundabouts, curb extensions and more
- Deaths from car crashes have spiked in recent years across the nation
Louisville was awarded over $21.4 million from the Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program. The project, Rightsizing Louisville for Safe Streets, aims to reconfigure 10 corridors notorious for crashes and safety risks:
- River Road
- Zorn Avenue
- East Oak Street
- West Oak Street
- South 22nd Street (US 31W)
- Wilson Avenue
- Louis Coleman Jr. Drive
- Crums Lane (KY 2049)
- Berry Boulevard (US 60A)
- Southern Parkway
Most of the roadways are located in disadvantaged census tracts, the USDOT said.
Safety improvements coming to those corridors include road diets, bike lanes, mini roundabouts, accessibility improvements, curb extensions and more.
Deaths from car crashes have spiked in recent years; nearly 43,000 people died on the road in 2021, a 16-year high. Multi-car crashes increased by 16%, and 13% more pedestrians died, according to federal data.
The grants are worth $800 million from the bipartisan infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed into law in late 2021.
The Department of Transportation this week also launched a data visualization tool that shows crash hotspots around the U.S., allowing you to see the problem areas in your city or county.