The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is awarding the City of Pittsburgh $6,603,495 in grant funding to support three separate pedestrian safety improvements projects. The three separate initiatives are:
- Brownsville Road Corridor project will receive $3,603,495 in funding to make improvements to traffic signals and enhance pedestrian safety and accessibility improvements;
- East Ohio Street Safety/Streetscape project will receive $1,500,000 to make improvements to traffic signals and enhance pedestrian safety; and
- East Liberty-Negley Avenue project will receive $1,500,000 to make safety improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists.
“Making Pittsburgh the safest city in America means making our streets safe for everyone who drives, rolls, or walks on them every day,” said Mayor Ed Gainey. “This funding will support our ongoing efforts to put our residents first, as their safety and well-being is the number one priority of my administration.”
SPC recently completed the selection process for its discretionary competitive grant program which selects certain projects in the region to receive federal funding. The organization has a selection committee that reviews grant applications submitted from counties and municipalities within its coverage area. The grant applications are then competitively reviewed and scored to ensure that these projects adhere to federal standards.
As the region’s Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), Local Development District (LDD), and Economic Development District (EDD), SPC receives an allotment of federal funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation that it can award to entities that have improvement projects which qualify under three areas: Congestion Mitigation Air Quality program (CMAQ), Carbon Reduction program (CRP), and the Transportation Alternatives Set Aside (TASA) program.
The CMAQ and CRP programs accept applications from counties and municipalities that have projects which will help to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. Eligible initiatives under these two programs can include pedestrian and bicycle facility projects, transit improvement programs, electric vehicles and charging stations, congestion reduction and traffic flow improvements, and diesel engine retrofitting/replacements. The TASA program accepts applications from counties and municipalities for projects that support transportation alternatives, including pedestrian and bicycle facilities, improving access to public transportation, enhanced mobility, recreational trails, safe routes to schools, and environmental mitigation.
“Pedestrian safety is a key focus of our organization, as we work to support the region,” said Rich Fitzgerald, Executive Director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission. “From Brownsville Road to East Ohio Street to East Liberty and Negley Avenue, these streets are used heavily by both pedestrians and bicyclists. To foster their safety, ongoing improvements need to be made and we’re proud to support the City with its ongoing effort to do just that.”
Initiatives like the City’s pedestrian improvement projects reflect the vision of SPC’s Long Range Transportation Plan which strives to ensure that the region is connected and has multimodal mobility for all. It also aligns with SPC’s Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Strategic Action Plan. TDM focuses on the decisions that people and businesses make every day about travel, and involves providing travelers with information, options, and incentives that expand travel choices.
Media Inquiries: Caitlin O’Connor
Cell: 412-719-5366
coconnor@spcregion.org
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About Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission:
The Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) is the federally designated metropolitan planning organization (MPO), local development district (LDD), and economic development district (EDD) serving 10 counties. The organization’s coverage area includes Allegheny including the City of Pittsburgh, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington and Westmoreland counties. It is responsible for planning and prioritizing the use of state and federal transportation funding and establishing economic/workforce development priorities for the region.
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