On September 5, The U.S. Department of Transportation awarded a grant to the Village of East Palestine to develop a comprehensive safety action plan to improve local streets. The $211,488 investment planning grant comes through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, which funds regional and local initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
There were 354 SS4A grant awards totaling over $1 billion given to local, regional and Tribal communities. These awards included 70 Implementation Grants focused on safety projects and strategies and 284 grants for planning and demonstration activities. The project, titled “East Palestine Revitalization Plan: Transportation for the Future,” falls under the latter category.
The goal for East Palestine is to make improvements for downtown pedestrians, ensure safe passage to the park and schools and plan multi-purpose trails. The village is hopeful the planning effort will lead to additional federal grant funds to help with construction of safety improvements and downtown streetscape improvements. In the wake of the derailment, safety and downtown revitalization are top priorities.
The village is in the process of seeking qualified engineering firms to lead the planning process. As a part of the planning process, citizen input will be sought. The Ohio Mid East Governments Association assisted the village with the planning grant application.
More information will be shared in this newsletter and online as it becomes available.