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Grant Assistance

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Safe Streets for All Grants

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All Grant Program provides funding to local governments and metropolitan planning organizations, or MPOs, to develop safety action plans and to carry out projects identified in those plans. 

USDOT’s goal is aligned with Vision Zero, a collaborative partnership (which includes the N.C. Department of Transportation) that works to eliminate fatal and serious injuries caused by crashes on all roadways. 

Using data and technical support provided by NCDOT, local agencies are better prepared when crafting these types of grants. To offset grant application costs, local agencies can request a partial match through NCDOT’s limited funding. The Safe Streets for All Grant program also promote low-cost and highly effective improvements for addressing roadway safety problems. 

Most local governments and regional planning organizations in North Carolina that apply for a Safe Streets for All Grant Program this year will qualify for a safety action plan grant—a prerequisite when applying for infrastructure funding.

USDOT is seeking agencies to develop safety action plans that include specific timelines and projects for implementation, are based on specific prioritization criteria, and incorporate the Safe System Approach. Data-driven methodologies are required by USDOT when reviewing crash history, applying systemic analysis to identify risk-based locations and selecting road safety improvements to address safety problems. USDOT has provided an Action Plan Application Template to assist agencies pursuing planning grants​.

RAISE Grants

The USDOT’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity Grant program, or RAISE​, provides funding to local and state governments, Native American tribes and regional government agencies to plan or build  transportation projects. This grant program awards a minimum of $1 million in rural areas, $5 million in urban areas and cannot exceed $25 million.

Projects that meet RAISE grant criteria include projects that:
  • Improve safety
  • Enhance the quality of life 
  • Improve mobility and community connectivity
Project types include:
  • Highway or bridge projects
  • Public transportation
  • Rail improvements 
  • Bicycle or pedestrian

NCDOT has helped several local agencies, such as metropolitan and rural planning organizations, apply for these types of grants by providing data, technical assistance and partial match funding. NCDOT grant applications have been most successful in high crash risk areas or areas with a high crash risk history and in underserved or disadvantaged communities.

NCDOT also uses and provides crash data and approved crash modification factors (factors used to compute the expected number of crashes at a specific site) to bolster the safety merit criteria for a RAISE grant application.​

Frequently Asked Questions

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  • How can NCDOT help local agencies applying for Safe Streets for All planning grants?

    NCDOT builds and owns most of the roads in the state, and the majority of roads that will be identified as “high risk” for severe injury or fatal crashes are NCDOT-maintained roadways. NCDOT is available to partner with your agency, by providing data and technical support as you develop your grant application and action plan. Federal funding may not be used as local match for Safe Streets for All grants, and NCDOT has limited state funding to serve as a partial match for planning grant applications.​

  • What should an agency include in an action plan grant budget?

    ​When developing a budget for a Safe Streets for All action plan application, consider including activities that will help define safety problems, develop projects to address safety needs, and enrich community outreach. These are not requirements of the Safe Streets for All criteria, but are best practices for developing safety plans and will prepare for future infrastructure grant applications.

    • Robust data analysis: Using or creating systemic analyses, exposure models, and other more robust data analyses to prioritize locations for further review for safety problems. The NCDOT Traffic Safety Unit is available to provide data and support to agencies that  conduct network screening, identifying locations similar to segments and intersections for Highway Safety Improvement Program  investigations. 
    • Road Safety Audits: or safety studies along key corridors and other target areas for your jurisdiction can ensure that you include representatives from multiple disciplines, to identify safety problems and road safety improvements  that are best suited for long-term success. NCDOT regional traffic engineer staff have extensive experience conducing field reviews and participating in road safety audits.  
    • Feasibility Studies: Conducting feasibility studies to refine project concepts and develop cost estimates for locations identified in an action plan. 
  • What data and information does NCDOT have to supplement USDOT data for a comprehensive safety action plan?

    ​NCDOT and USDOT has several datasets and resources that can be used to support the development of Safe Streets for All grant applications and comprehensive safety action plans. USDOT requires that applicants describe fatal crash rates using the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) data base: Fatality and Injury R​eporting Sy​stem Tool (FIRST) (dot.gov).

    NCDOT has several other digital datasets showing where fatal and severe injury crashes have occurred throughout the state and summaries of prevalent crash types. This data may help describe high crash corridors, and per capita crash rates to demonstrate prominent safety problems in your community: 

    NCDOT has a list of road safety improvements with assigned Crash Reduction Factors (CRFs) for North Carolina safety projects. This information may also help identify road safety improvements that have been used throughout the state. This information can also supplement resources published by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA,, such as FHWA Proven Safety Countermeasures​ and NHTSA Countermeasures That Work​.


7/10/2024 3:26 PM