SPOKANE, Wash. — U.S. Senator from Washington Maria Cantwell announced that nine communities across the State of Washington will receive a total of $2.1 million to make their roadways safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The funding, which comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All grant program, includes one implementation grant and eight planning grants.
The grants include:
- $388,000 for the Spokane Regional Transportation Council to conduct a pilot educational campaign that leverages non-traditional media, such as partnerships with local influencers and advertisements in video games, to deliver targeted safety messages. This campaign seeks to raise awareness of safety issues, promote safe behaviors and strengthen community involvement.
- $128,000 for the Kalispel Indian Community of the Kalispel Reservation to develop a new Action Plan to reduce the number of crashes on the reservation and help the Kalispel Tribe of Indians work with nearby cities, Pend Oreille County and the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) to maintain safe driving facilities in the vicinity.
Cantwell holds the position of Chair of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation and authored the Safe Streets and Roads For All program to ensure that the program was among the transportation investments included in the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL).
Safe Streets and Roads for All grants help local governments carry out Vision Zero plans and other improvements to reduce crashes and fatalities, including for cyclists and pedestrians.
According to the WSDOT collision data portal, in Spokane County there have been 215 fatal and serious injury crashes in 2024 and 144 crashes involving pedestrians and cyclists so far in 2024, 12 of which were fatal.
