Des Moines will expedite dozens of street safety projects with $13M grant
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A new $13 million federal transportation grant will expedite dozens of Des Moines street projects, including school-zone improvements.
Why it matters: Before the federal boost, many were not budgeted and their timelines were uncertain, city engineer Steven Naber tells Axios. Now they'll largely wrap up within four years.
Driving the news: DSM was the only local government in Iowa to receive one of the 70 Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Implementation Grants announced last week.
- The money is for projects prioritizing people walking or biking, and it targets major accident factors like left-turn crashes, excessive speed and red-light running.
Zoom in: It will fund school-zone warning signs at nearly 30 city locations.
- More than 230 red lights will get retroreflective traffic signal plates.
- Southeast 14th Street, Forest Avenue, and Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway/19th Street corridors will have special projects designed to reduce speed-related crashes, such as lane reductions and additional bike space.
By the numbers: Des Moines had about 27,000 crashes from 2017 to 2021, according to data from the city's transportation department.
- About 25% involved "vulnerable users," which generally are pedestrians and bicyclists.
- An average of 105 people annually were killed or seriously injured during that time.
The big picture: Vehicle-related deaths in Iowa recently rose more than 11% — up from 338 in 2022 to 376 last year — with only Rhode Island, Kentucky and Idaho logging larger percentage increases.
- Fast speeds and distracted driving were common factors, traffic safety advocates say.
Stunning stat: Crashes were reported at over 20% of the nearly 10,500 DSM intersections last year, the DSM Register reports.
- The city had five of the state's top 10 intersections with the most car collisions, according to Iowa DOT data.