Highway Safety Improvement Program call for projects

2024 City Safety Program - Call for projects
Closed - Applications due February 2, 2024

Available funding for 2024

$35 million of federal Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds.
$1 million of state Traffic Conflict Screening Using Video Analytics funds.

Program Purpose

The purpose of this program is to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes on city streets using engineering improvements/countermeasures. Learn more about the Highway Safety Improvement Program.

Eligibility

• HSIP Federal Funding: Cities and Towns in Washington State that have experienced fatal or serious injury crashes during the past 5 years with complete crash history (2018-2022) are eligible to apply. Tribal agencies may apply for funding for projects that are within incorporated cities that have experienced fatal or serious injury crashes from 2018 to 2022. Other agencies and organizations may work with a city to propose/develop a project to be funded through HSIP.
• Traffic Conflict Screening Using Video Analytics State Funding: Local public agencies including cities, tribes, etc. are eligible to apply. The intent of this funding is to implement network-wide traffic conflict screening programs using video analytics at controlled intersections with disproportionate numbers of traffic violations and injuries to active transportation users.
• Preliminary engineering/design, right-of-way, and construction phases of projects are eligible for HSIP funding. Design-only projects that include only preliminary engineering, environmental, and/or right-of-way phases are not eligible.
• Maintenance, enforcement, and education activities are not eligible.
• Applying agencies must submit a local road safety plan that addresses fatal and serious injury crashes in the city to be eligible to apply. Local road safety plans are a Proven Safety Countermeasure that provides a data-driven analysis and prioritization of an agency's roadways for traffic safety. Using specific information about the factors present at specific crash locations, the city must identify locations where those factors are present. They then must identify and prioritize improvements/countermeasures/projects to address the highest priority locations. This prioritized list of projects must be presented in the local road safety plan, which must be submitted with the application. The local road safety plan must document how and why the priorities were selected.
  
  Local Road Safety Plans Virtual Workshop: WSDOT Local Program Division held a virtual workshop on developing Local Road Safety Plans on October 31, 2023. A recording of the workshop is available through Go-To Webinar: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/recording/9014103523136387075 or view a PDF copy of the presentation (PDF 5.9MB). 
• Safety data collection projects are eligible for funding. Data collection projects are intended to improve a jurisdiction’s local road safety plan/systemic safety analysis.

Systemic and spot location projects are eligible for HSIP funding.

Systemic Projects: Systemic safety projects include widely implemented improvements based on a risk-based safety analysis. Applying agencies must use 2018-2022 crash data and a systemic safety planning process to identify and prioritize projects to address the highest priority locations. This prioritized list of projects must be reflected in the local road safety plan. Projects can be proposed on both city streets or on state highways managed by cities with populations over 27,500.

Spot Location Projects: Projects must address one or more specific fatal and/or serious injury crashes from 2018-2022 (the most recent, complete years available). Spot locations must also be identified in the applying agency’s local road safety plan. Spot location projects must be at a specific intersection(s), mid-block location(s), or corridor(s) on:

• City street(s) in a city or town of any population.
• State highway(s) that a city with a population above 27,500 maintains.
• State highway(s) in a city or town with population 27,500 or less when there is interest from the WSDOT region in partnering to co-fund the project.

Additional Considerations

• Cities are encouraged to incorporate equity-specific safety data and consider equity-related safety risk factors in the development of the local road safety plan. In many communities, traditionally disadvantaged populations are disproportionately impacted by fatal and serious injury crashes.  For more information please see Target Zero, pp. 217-221 (PDF 1.3MB). Cities can access equity-related data through the Washington Tracking Network.
• WSDOT is currently conducting a Vulnerable Road User assessment of all public roadways statewide. When available, agencies should consider including this data in their systemic safety analysis. Identified locations and data will be publicly available once the assessment is complete. Additional consideration for funding prioritization  may be given to pedestrian and bicyclist related safety projects that address priority locations identified in the Vulnerable Road User assessment.
• Cities should consider including projects related to smaller jurisdictions or tribes with interconnected roadways in their applications.
• When upgrading an intersection's control type from traffic signs, the city must evaluate a roundabout and provide justification if a roundabout is not selected.
• Applying agencies should consider integrating the principles of the Safe System Approach into their safety planning and project development process. The Safe System Approach establishes a holistic and comprehensive guiding framework to make roadways safer for people. This includes designing and operating roadways to mitigate human mistakes and account for injury tolerances, set safe speeds, encourage safer behaviors, and facilitate safe travel by the most vulnerable users.

Crash Data Summary

Local Programs is providing each eligible city with a crash data summary. The summary shows information about the fatal, serious injury, and total crashes in the city. It also shows how the city compares with other cities in the state. The summary does not include detailed crash data. Detailed crash data can be requested through WSDOT Crash Data and reporting office using the provided form (PDF 1.6MB).

Other Requirements

• Projects are eligible for 100% federal HSIP funding for all phases authorized prior to April 30, 2027. Any phases not authorized by this date may be subject to the remaining funds being rescinded.
• Projects must be fully funded between this funding and other funding sources, as applicable.
• Only one application per city may be submitted. All prioritized projects should be shown on the application.
• There is no maximum funding level for the application.
• Projects must comply with all necessary federal and state requirements as detailed in the Local Agency Guidelines Manual.
• Projects must be completed as selected once they have been awarded funding.
• Recipients must report biannually on the status and expenditures of each project.
• Recipients are required to submit monthly progress billings for projects to ensure timely reimbursement of eligible federal expenditures.
• Costs incurred prior to federal fund obligation are not eligible for reimbursement.
• Projects that are not actively pursued or that become inactive (23 CFR 630) are at risk of being cancelled and the funds reprogrammed.
• All projects must be ADA compliant upon completion or federal funds must be repaid.

Selection process

• All properly submitted applications will be reviewed to ensure they are complete and eligible for funding.
• All projects will be prioritized based on effectiveness of addressing systemic safety risk factors identified in the agency’s local road safety plan and the anticipated cost effectiveness of the proposed work in reducing fatal and serious injury crashes in support of Target Zero.
• WSDOT may conduct site visits with the applicant, as needed.
• WSDOT’s Local Programs Director will select the final City Safety projects by July 2024.

Application form

A completed application form (DOCX 45KB) is required. Applications must include:

• A local road safety plan for the city applying for funding. The information in the application must match what is in the plan.
• A vicinity map showing the location of all improvements/countermeasures/projects.
• A conceptual plan and cross section showing the existing and final configurations for projects that add or revise travel lanes or sidewalks.
• A detailed cost estimate for each phase (preliminary engineering, right of way, and construction). The cost estimate for construction must be determined assuming that the project is design-bid-build or design-build and not constructed by the agency's forces.

Application forms and the above items can be completed electronically or in writing but must be submitted electronically by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2024 by email to HLPGrants@wsdot.wa.gov. Paper submittals will not be accepted. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Information

This material can be made available in an alternate format by emailing the Office of Equity and Civil Rights at wsdotada@wsdot.wa.gov or by calling toll free, 855-362-4ADA(4232). Persons who are deaf or hard of hearing may make a request by calling the Washington State Relay at 711.

Title VI Notice to Public

It is the Washington State Department of Transportation’s (WSDOT) policy to assure that no person shall, on the grounds of race, color, national origin, as provided by Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be otherwise discriminated against under any of its programs and activities. Any person who believes his/her Title VI protection has been violated, may file a complaint with WSDOT’s Office of Equity and Civil Rights (OECR). For additional information regarding Title VI complaint procedures and/or information regarding our non-discrimination obligations, please contact OECR’s Title VI Coordinator at (360) 705-7090.