This should take a bit of the sting off of the recent slashing that lopped Tacoma’s Public Works Department by 45 percent.
The City of Tacoma announced today it has won more than $1.9 million in three state transportation grants — money the city will put toward various street safety improvement projects.
Here’s the full press release:
Feb. 13, 2013
The City of Tacoma Public Works Department has been awarded three Quick Response Safety Program Grants from the Washington State Department of Transportation. The grants, totaling more than $1.9 million, were awarded based on the cost-effectiveness of proposed safety improvements and based on the City’s ability to deliver the projects quickly.
The three City projects awarded grant funding are:
---> S. 25th Street Corridor Signal Improvements
This project will install a traffic signal and add pedestrian curb bulbs at the intersection of South 25th Street and J Street, interconnecting five nearby traffic signals. The project will also improve curb ramps and signal detection at the intersections of South 25th Street and Yakima Avenue and South 25th Street and Tacoma Avenue.
---> Mildred Street Improvements
This project will rehabilitate Mildred Street from South 19th Street to South 12th Street. In conjunction with the repaving, the project will reduce the number of travel lanes from five to three in order to provide bike lanes, improved transit access, landscaped medians, pedestrian refuge islands and a new mid-block crosswalk with flashing warning beacons.
---> Citywide Safety Improvements
This project will make low cost safety improvements at intersections throughout the City of Tacoma. Most improvements will be conducted at signalized intersections, with priority given to the busiest intersections with the most collisions. The work will include installation of durable reflective pavement markings and improved signage, as well as new crosswalks, stop bars, arrows and lane lines.
A total of 92 grant applications were submitted to Washington State Department of Transportation and from those, 54 projects received funding.
About the Quick Response Safety Program: The Washington State Department of Transportation Highways & Local Programs have created this program to reduce fatal and serious collisions on local roads and streets and on managed access state highways within any local jurisdiction in Washington State. Program funds must be invested according to Washington State’s Strategic Highway Safety Plan. Washington State’s plan is called Target Zero. Target Zero presents strategies to eliminate fatal and serious injury collisions by the year 2030. This program also serves to get safety projects on the ground quickly. This program funds only the construction phase of a project.
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