To help save lives and make our streets safer, the federal government is awarding communities across Florida about $67 million to plan for the future and work on infrastructure.
This is part of $800 million in federal funding that’s been awarded to hundreds of communities across the country.
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Transportation officials say the trends are heading in the wrong direction, and roads are getting more dangerous.
With the exception of last year, the number of deadly crashes in Florida has been on the rise since 2018, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
That’s roughly 3,000 a year, and the state has already reported 124 deadly crashes just one month into 2023
In our region, the city of Palatka is getting one of the bigger pieces of the pie, $960,000. The city plans to use the money to develop a comprehensive safety action plan.
The city of Jacksonville is getting significantly less money to do the same work.
Jacksonville’s goal is to have no bicycle or pedestrian deaths by 2030.
In 2022, there were 289 bicycle crashes in Duval County, and 527 pedestrian crashes, according to the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles.
The federal government is also awarding $8 million for the city of Gainesville, which includes the University of Florida.
Another $262,000 will go to Alachua, $280,000 to Columbia County, and $320,000 to Flagler County.
Georgia is also getting $36 million, which is about half of Florida’s take, but none of those projects are in our area.