The City of Rapid City is one of over 200 communities nationwide to receive a federal grant from the US Department of Transportation as part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program.
Rapid City’s grant award totals $160,000 and is one of four awarded statewide by the US Department of Transportation. Federal officials announced the grant awards last Friday. A total of 235 grants were awarded to regional, local and tribal communities for planning and demonstration projects to improve safety and help prevent deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways.
The Rapid City Council authorized officials to apply for the grant at its July 3 session.
City officials indicate the grant will be used to create an action plan to address transportation planning challenges with a goal of implementing innovative, low-cost, high-impact strategies to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways.
In its grant application, the City referenced 1,401 vehicular crashes, including eight fatal crashes, in 2022 in the community. This total is a 43 percent increase from the three-year average. In addition, there were 496 crashes that involved serious injuries, a 10 percent increase from the three-year average. There were 30 crashes between cars and pedestrians and/or bicyclists, most involving injuries with three fatalities.
“We will use the planning grant funding to contract with a consultant and create a committee of stakeholders,” said City Long-Range Planner Kip Harrington. “By the completion of the project, the plan is to have the City Council approve a resolution with a goal of zero roadway fatalities and serious injuries.”
Harrington said development of the plan will include a safety analysis and public engagement. Harrington said the planning grant provides opportunities to identify data, coordinate the data with the results of previous transportation planning studies and prioritize what needs to be done and when to produce the greatest impacts on reducing the number of fatalities and injuries on local roadways.
The City will provide a matching allocation of $40,000 for a total allocation project award of $200,000.
Other entities in South Dakota receiving similar DOT grants were Spearfish, Sturgis and Lincoln County.
