An Annual State-Local Safety Summit Nets Millions in Federal Transportation Dollars

Guest post

Two innovative programs in the Tampa metropolitan area are making it easier for local transportation agencies to access millions of federal dollars. These practices are just two of over 100 roadway safety practices available in the Roadway Safety Noteworthy Practices Database, an online resource from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Office of Safety.

The District 7 (D7 – Tampa) annual Local Safety Summit gives local transportation agencies an annual opportunity to talk to peers, exchange local roads knowledge, and learn how to assess and implement new roadway safety countermeasures. The FHWA and the Florida Department of Transportation present state and federal requirements, programs, and processes for local agencies to put federal funding toward local safety improvements. While many States and localities do outreach, District 7, which includes Tampa and St. Petersburg, is unique in setting up a knowledge transfer that is annual, comprehensive, and open to local agencies across the state. Before the Local Safety Summit, local transportation agencies submitted only a few applications for federal funding each year—now, they submit more than 50 safety improvement applications yearly.

D7 – Tampa also created a push-button framework for local agencies to access federal funding for simple, low-cost safety improvements and bypass the lengthy environmental review process. With this push-button framework, D7 – Tampa reduced the time to deliver simple safety improvements, such as bicycle lanes and concrete medians, from 3 to 5 years to 3 to 9 months.

For more on these and other innovative transportation practices please visit the FHWA Office of Safety Roadway Safety Noteworthy Practices Database.