By Sunayana Prabhu
Holmdel and Highlands are two of the three Monmouth County municipalities – along with Bradley Beach – to receive federal aid through a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant meant for the maintenance of infrastructure.
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation website, U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg recently announced $800 million in SS4A grant awards to 510 regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. Monmouth County received $1.18 million as part of the first round of SS4A program funding.
The SS4A program was established with $5 billion in appropriated funds over the next five years as part of the U.S. Federal Highway Administration’s bipartisan infrastructure law, implemented September 2021, to reduce roadway fatalities and help communities build upon existing roadway safety plans.
Monmouth County’s Division of Planning led the applications for the three municipalities to receive the SS4A Comprehensive Action Plan Grant award. “As the lead applicant, the County will provide guidance for planning and administration to the towns included in the application,” said Commissioner Lillian G. Burry, liaison to the division of planning.
Monmouth County Board of County Commissioners announced Feb. 3 that the grant will allocate a portion of the $1.18 million to each of the towns to develop, complete or supplement a comprehensive action plan.
Action plan grants and implementation grants are the two types of SS4A grants that communities can apply for. Both Highlands and Holmdel have received the action plan grant. Monmouth County Commissioner Director Thomas A. Arnone said the action plan grants will be used to “identify and implement low-cost, high-impact strategies, and will explore innovative technologies and strategies promoting safety and equity.”
Some of the examples of action plan grants are project planning, outreach, data collection, analysis and other related tasks.
Implementation grants help with the completion of projects. Examples of projects that use implementation grants include installation of pedestrian crosswalks with high-visibility pavement markings, lighting, and signage at transit stops, in designated neighborhoods or busy public transportation routes. Implementation grants also include projects like developing safe bikeway networks with bicycle lanes for different roadway volumes and speeds that are safe for people of all ages and abilities.
The county’s division of planning has a transportation planning department that is responsible for administering the funds. “Once an action plan is complete, the county can apply for funds for an implementation grant which would be the implementation of the recommendations in the action plan,” said Burry.
In the Borough of Highlands, the SS4A grant will cover the plan for installation of safe pedestrian sidewalks on both sides of Shore Drive, which ends at the Seastreak Ferry terminal. Seastreak provides ferry service for commuters from Monmouth County to Manhattan and excursions to areas farther north like Newport, Providence, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
Michael Muscillo, Highlands borough administrator, said since Shore Drive is “a direct path to the Seastreak Ferry entrance, there’s a lot of pedestrian and vehicle traffic along there. So, we’re just trying to make it as safe as we can.”
Muscillo said the borough’s engineers, CME Associates, applied for the SS4A grant in the fall. He said the borough will soon be notified by county officials with the exact amount allocated for their project from the $1.18 million.
All three municipalities and the Monmouth County Division of Planning will develop comprehensive safety action plans for each of their jurisdictions to address issues related to “speed and infrastructure,” as well as “detailing and recommending behavioral and policy interventions that encourage sobriety, patience, focus, seatbelt use, and modal choice,” Commissioner Ross F. Licitra, liaison to the planning board, said. “Safety of our residents and visitors is one of our highest priorities.”
The article originally appeared in the February 16 – 22, 2023 print edition of The Two River Times.
