Indy shut out of Biden admin's 'Safe Streets for All' grants despite record-high deaths
A request for $20 million in federal aid to improve safety on Indianapolis streets has been denied as the number of pedestrians struck and killed by vehicles reaches an all-time high and the city desperately seeks funding to cover the demand for massive road improvements.
The applications to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All fund was among hundreds submitted by local governments across the country, including $72 million for projects in Hamilton County. The $800 million allocation is part of President Joe Biden's administration's Bipartisan Infrastructure Law that will total $5 billion in Safe Streets appropriations over five years.
The rebuff follows the deaths of 40 pedestrians on Indianapolis streets in 2022, a record, mirroring a national jump in deadly crashes. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has called traffic deaths “a crisis that is urgent and unacceptable” and said the Safe Street funding will favor projects that protect pedestrians.
Deadly year on roads:A record 40 Indianapolis pedestrians killed by drivers in 2022
The Indianapolis plan — submitted by IndyGo and the Department of Public Works — would improve sidewalks, crosswalks and curbs leading to bus stops in some of the city’s most dangerous areas for pedestrians.
“Streets without pathways, stops that are not ADA compliant, and neighborhoods that are not connected result in a more dangerous first and last mile connection for our riders," said Ryan Wilhite, IndyGo manager of special projects and regional mobility integration said in a written statement. "At a time where deadly vehicle and pedestrian accidents in Indianapolis have increased exponentially, it’s critical that we continue to work toward these projects.”
IndyGo officials declined an interview request but said they would resubmit the proposal later this year for the next round of funding, which will exceed $1.1 billion, according to the Department of Transportation.
No more stoplights:Carmel has plans for 9 more roundabouts. Here's where
Big ticket projects in suburbs
Carmel, Fishers, Westfield and the Hamilton County Highway Department were also shut out for their grant requests, which included:
$8.3 million for a tunnel on the Monon Trail at 161st Street in Westfield, where the city council has been debating the need and cost for the past few years.
$10.6 million for four roundabouts on AAA Way a project the city claims will reduce traffic delays by 563 hours per year and lower serious crashes.
$30 million for an overpass and roundabout combination at 146th Street and Hazel Dell Parkway which the county highway department said is a high-crash intersection with 139 wrecks from 2016-20 and six involving pedestrian or bike riders.
$22 million to road improvements and sidewalks on 116th Street in Fishers from I-69 to Olio Road, an area brimming with development, much of it tailored to pedestrian activity.
Indianapolis paints a bleak picture of pedestrian infrastructure
In its grant application, Indianapolis officials painted a bleak picture of its pedestrian infrastructure. The city was built for cars, with wide, high-speed streets, and failed to build the sidewalks residents needed, the city said.
Broken sidewalks with craggy curbs, a lack of safe crosswalks and a dearth of effective traffic signals have left those on foot trying to sidestep the hazards in peril and made a trip to some bus stops unnavigable for wheelchair users.
“Pedestrians and cyclists face many dangers from high speed, high-volume traffic conditions and distracted driving behaviors, which is reflected in rising crash rates,” according to the application.
More:People keep dying in crashes on Indianapolis streets. What can actually be done about it?
The city needs an estimated $1 billion to build the sidewalks, intersections and redesigned roads to make wholesale safety improvements.
Indianapolis reached a high in pedestrian deaths with 39 in 2020, the year the Coronavirus pandemic was declared. Nationwide, the death toll in 2020 was the highest in four decades, 7,485, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.
After Indianapolis saw a dip in 2021, fatal crashes involving pedestrians shot up last year, killing 40 people. Officials said reckless speeding that took hold in 2020 continues, while roadway improvements and traffic safety measures have lagged.
Focus on danger zones
In the city's federal grant application, it proposed repairs at eight dangerous stretches of road on bus routes, where 534 crashes caused 10 pedestrian and two bicyclists fatalities occurred between 2016-20. Twenty-seven pedestrians and three bike riders were injured in that time frame.
The locations are:
North Michigan Road, between 10th and 86th Street, with four pedestrians and two bicyclists killed.
West 10th Street from Raceway Road to Port Allegra Street, with two pedestrians and one bicyclist killed.
East Franklin Road, between 30th and 42nd streets, where two pedestrians were killed.
North Post Road, between Washington and 56th streets, with one pedestrian and one bicyclist killed.
East 30th Street, between Keystone Avenue and Franklin Road, with one pedestrian killed.
Lynhurst Drive, between Morris Street and 22nd streets, where four pedestrians and one bike rider have been injured.
East 42nd Street, between Franklin and Mithoeffer roads, where four pedestrians have been injured.
'Insane driver behavior'
The expensive construction projects Indianapolis and the suburbs were seeking had stiff competition from other cities across the country that requested a total of $2.9 billion. But only 37 of the 510 grants were awarded for construction; the rest went toward less costly proposals to simply develop plans for safety, including a couple locally. Noblesville received $200,000 and Shelbyville received $120,000 to work on traffic safety "action plans."
Kevin Mills, vice president of programs at Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, a Washington D.C. traffic safety advocacy organization, said the Department of Transportation might have emphasized planning in this round of funding to get more cities involved in the process.
“The government isn’t looking at this as a one-and-done,” said Mills, noting there will be several rounds of funding with lots of time for construction projects. “This is supposed to be evidence-based funding and they want to see hard numbers. The funds for studies get these cities started on that.”
Mills said the Indianapolis plan seemed to meet many of the DOT's requirements and the city appeared "well-positioned" to eventually get the grant.
"There has been a lot of attention at the state and local level in Indiana" to safe roads and trails, which should work to its advantage, Mills said, citing Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Next Level Trails grants, which have doled out tens of millions of dollars to cities and counties.
President's Day Sale:6 reasons to subscribe to IndyStar during one of our best sales of the year
Changes can't happen fast enough
People who walk and bike on Indy's streets said the city can't afford to miss any opportunity to decrease the danger.
Bicyclist Eric Holt has learned fast what bad shape Indy’s roads are in. After a couple of scares on the road he started an automated Twitter account that tracks all pedestrian and bike collisions, @IndyPedCrisis.
“If you bike or walk every day like I do you, have some idea, but it is way worse out there than I expected,” he said. “It’s infrastructure but it is also insanely reckless driver behavior."
Holt now links Google maps to crash sites and says there’s an overlap between pedestrian deaths and public transportation.
“You look at the overhead view of accidents and there are bus stops everywhere,” he said. “It is clear these people were trying to get to bus stops.”
West Side Councilor Jared Evans said many streets in his neighborhood, such as Washington and Lynhurst, don’t have sidewalks, which elevates the risk for pedestrians. Local funding can't come close to making all the improvements necessary and said it was vital for the city to vigorously pursue grants.
“The expectation for every member of a community should be that they can safely get to a bus stop without worrying about being hit by a car,” Evans said.
Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418. Follow on Twitter andFacebook.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: US DOT snubs Indy, HamCo for $92M in road grants
