22 November 2023
NEWTON, Kan. (KSNW) — Newton has received a $320,000 grant from the Safe Streets and Roads for All federal grant program.
The program, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation, is a five-year, $5 billion competitive grant program funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The funds are to be focused on promoting responsible driving, creating safer roadways, adjusting speed limits for safety, and improving post-crash care.
“The City of Newton is excited to hear about our SS4A grant award,” says Suzanne Loomis, Newton City Engineer/Director of Public Works, in a news release from Governor Laura Kelly’s office. “We hope this will lead to safer Newton roadways for our citizens and visitors.”
The grant is a matching grant, meaning communities who receive it must also contribute funding. They will receive 15% of that contribution from a state match pilot program.
The grant will used by Newton to develop a City and County Safety Action Plan with Harvey County and conduct road safety audits, intersection, and high-crash location analyses.
Governor Kelly’s office says Newton is one of seven communities in Kansas receiving a combined total of $1.47 million in funding through the SS4A program.
“No one can better pinpoint a community’s safety needs than the people who live and work there,” says Governor Kelly. “I commend these local governments for leveraging federal and state funding to create safety plans for their city streets and county roads.”
Other recipients of the grant include El Dorado, which is getting a $160,000 grant with a 15% match from the state, and Eureka, which will get a $140,000 with a 15% match.
Hutchinson is receiving $160,000 with a 10% match from the state, and Russell will receive $160,000 with a 15% match. Chautauqua County will get $320,000 with a 20%, and Shawnee County will receive $168,000 with a 10% match.
The Kansas Department of Transportation, which is administering the program, will make additional grant recipient announcements in December.