The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has allotted $50 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds to support safety improvement projects on local road networks across Indiana.
The move is the next step in the agency’s stated focus on safety and related goal of reducing fatal and serious injury crashes on Indiana roadways by 25% over the next ten years.
“This is a goal that we can’t reach on our own,” said Mike Smith, INDOT Commissioner, in a statement. “It’s going to take all of us, at both the state and local levels, working together, to truly enhance roadway safety.”
A Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is now available, providing an opportunity for local agencies to implement safety countermeasures on roads. Eligible countermeasures are low-cost improvements that do not require additional right-of-way, according to a report from WISHtv.com.
Examples include new or updated warning devices, signs or pavement markings, raised medians, curb extensions, pedestrian/crosswalk improvements, guardrail additions or improvements, traffic signal enhancements, and improvements at rail crossings.
Local cities, towns and counties that receive proposed funding will be required to use funds within two years of award.
INDOT’s new safety-focused goal in 2023 identified several strategies the agency will execute this year including:
- Buckle Up Phone Down – an initiative aimed at changing driver behavior by enforcing the idea that drivers should buckle up and put their phones down.
- Identifying solutions – developing improvement plans for problematic corridors and intersections on the state road network.
- Regional safety summits – all six INDOT districts held regional safety summits to collaborate on safety-related issues and potential solutions.
- Worksite speed control pilot program – camera technology in up to four INDOT work zones, expected to begin in early fall of 2024.
Source: WIMSradio.com, WISHTV.com
