California awards nearly $300 million to local communities to make roadways safer

The funding for these local projects is provided through the federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), a critical federal-aid program with the goal of reducing fatal and serious injuries on public roads across the nation.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is using the Safe System approach – which emphasizes multiple layers of protection, including safer road designs – to achieve its goal of reducing fatalities and serious injuries on state roadways to zero by 2050.

Caltrans’ adoption of the Safe System approach builds on its ongoing work to embed safety in the state’s transportation system. When feasible, transportation projects Caltrans funds or oversees will include “complete street” features that provide safe and accessible options for people walking, biking, and taking transit.

“Under Governor Newsom’s leadership, California remains committed to helping ensure that every Californian has access to safe and reliable transportation, no matter who they are or where they live,” said California Transportation Secretary Toks Omishakin. “These investments highlight our people-first approach, because we know it will pay the most important dividend of all – their safety.”   

Safety improvement efforts from projects receiving the funding announced today will be distributed throughout the state, making impactful enhancements from Del Norte County in the north to San Diego County in the south and communities everywhere in between.