$200K federal grant to fund plan to make Middletown streets safer
May 8—Federal grant funding will allow Middletown to plan to make streets safer in the future for bicyclists, pedestrians or motorists.
Middletown has been awarded a $200,000 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant to develop a comprehensive safety action plan. Council accepted the grant and authorized a $50,000 match from the city's general fund at Tuesday night's meeting.
The plan will involve an evaluation of the current system including roadway, pedestrian and bicycle transportation plus an analysis of accident information to determine trends and contributing factors.
Headed by the city's public works department, a consultant will collect and review transportation data, then the focus will turn to assessing high-risk locations and specific safety needs, according to the staff report.
The plan development will also include input from the public, public safety, area school districts, the Ohio Department of Transportation and neighborhood associations, according to Scott Tadych, public works director.
Based on public input, technical analysis and direction of council, a final plan will include specific projects for implementation. That plan will include infrastructure, behavioral and operational initiatives to prevent death and serious injury on roads.
"It could include anything for striping in crosswalks to bump outs to control speed in the boulevard system with three lanes that tends to attract speeding,' Tadych said.
The city often receives complaints from citizens concerned about road safety in certain areas, those will also be "part of the mix" that is considered in the plan priorities, he said.
Another component will be education of those using the streets.
"The goal is zero fatalities, that is a challenge," Tadych said.
He estimated the planning process will take about nine months with implementation starting next year. The amount of work that can be completed from the plan will depend on future funding streams, including additional grants and city money.
Other area cities have also received grant cash including Hamilton, Trenton and Lebanon.
