ALEXANDRIA, Ky. — The City of Alexandria has been awarded $240,000 in federal funding to help reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries within its city limits.
The funding is part of a nationwide transportation safety initiative administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation and will support Alexandria’s participation in the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. The grant will allow the city to take a data-driven, community-focused approach to identify roadway safety challenges and develop plans to address them.
“We can oftentimes use these types of plans to leverage to go after bigger amounts of money for maybe additional corrections on infrastructure needs we have around town,” said Alexandria City Administrator David Plummer. “So, it’s a pretty exciting announcement.”
The comprehensive safety action plan will evaluate crash data, traffic patterns and pedestrian conditions to identify high-risk locations and contributing factors to serious crashes. The plan will also outline prioritized recommendations, including traffic calming measures, pedestrian safety improvements, signage and lighting enhancements and public education initiatives.
“This funding gives Alexandria the opportunity to take a thoughtful and proactive look at roadway safety across our community,” said Alexandria Mayor Andy Schabell. “By developing this plan, we can better understand where our challenges exist and put forward practical, well-defined strategies to improve safety for drivers, pedestrians and all who travel through our city.”
The planning process will include coordination with local and regional partners, law enforcement, schools, businesses and residents to ensure the plan reflects community priorities and real-world conditions.
Plummer said the city will have three years to allocate and spend the money.
“That kind of dovetails into what the state is going to be changing on U.S. 27 with traffic when the Kroger comes in,” Alexandria Councilmember Stacey Graus said. “So, that’s what I was thinking, how we can use those together?”
To learn more about the U.S. 27 improvements happening for the Alexandria Kroger development, click here.
Once completed, the comprehensive safety action plan will position the City of Alexandria to pursue future implementation funding and guide long-term investments in safer streets and transportation infrastructure.
