WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Sens. Mark R. Warner and Tim Kaine announced $25,668,909 in federal funding to make safety improvements along the Virginia Beach Trail and in Richmond. The funding was awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program, which funds initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The program was created by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which the senators helped pass.

“It’s critical that our transportation networks have the infrastructure needed to keep Virginians safe while they walk, bike, and drive,” said the senators. “We’re glad this funding made possible by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law we passed will be used to make safety improvements along the Virginia Beach Trail and help prevent serious injuries and deaths at intersections in Richmond.”

The funding will be awarded as follows:

• $14,900,000 for Virginia Beach to make multiple safety improvements for the Virginia Beach Trail project to address unsafe pedestrian conditions in the Hampton Roads area and create an active transportation link between downtown Norfolk and the Virginia Beach Town Center. Once completed, the shared-use path will have over three miles of pedestrian and bicycle trails completely separated from vehicles and move people walking and biking off a busy road. The trail will link multiple universities, businesses, and employment opportunities to underserved communities along the corridor. The project also includes a pedestrian bridge over the 10-lane road, high-visibility crosswalks, and improved lighting.
• $10,768,909 for Richmond to address safety issues at 13 different corridors across the city. About 40% of the killed or seriously injured traffic incidents in Richmond occur on 3% of the street network, and many occur at intersections. The funding will be used to implement the Federal Highway Administration’s Proven Safety Countermeasures and the Virginia Department of Transportation’s Systemic Safety Countermeasures, including high visibility signal backplates (for 56 projects); flashing yellow arrows (72 projects); LED street lights (733 projects); infrastructure upgrades for unsignalized intersections, where the control of right-of-way is determined by the presence of a YIELD or STOP sign, or no sign at all (132 projects); red light enforcement cameras (11 projects); pedestrian hybrid beacons (7 projects); transit stop ADA accessibility enhancements (86 projects); permanent bicycle lane separation (1.93 miles); and other intersection improvements (26 projects).

Sens. Warner and Kaine have long supported efforts to improve transportation infrastructure across the Commonwealth. Earlier this year, the senators announced over $38 million in federal funding to improve shared-use and bicycle paths and roadway safety in Northampton, Accomack, Chesterfield, Rockingham, and Fairfax Counties. The senators also announced nearly $2 million in federal funding to promote increased safety for Virginia drivers and motorists.

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