Tempe receives $12.5M in federal funding for Baseline Road safety improvements

Tempe has received  $12.5 million in funding from the Department of Transportation to execute strategies identified in Tempe’s Vision Zero Action Plan along a 3.9-mile corridor of Baseline Road from Priest Drive to State Route 101. 

This corridor was chosen specifically as several serious or fatal crashes have occurred along it, according to a city release. Between 2017 and 2021, there were 35 fatal or serious injury crashes in the corridor. 

“This grant could save lives,” Mayor Corey Woods said in the release. “The goal of Tempe’s Vision Zero Action Plan is to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries. One way we can do that is making our street infrastructure safer."

Woods went on to say that the $12.5 million grant through the Safe Streets and Roads for All Program will improve traffic flow and safety along Baseline Road through signalized pedestrian crossings, dedicated turn and bike lanes and high-visibility crosswalk striping.

“These are proven ways to make streets safer. We appreciate Congressman Stanton’s support for Tempe’s grant application and thank the US Department of Transportation for this funding,” he said. 

This grant is through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All program. SS4A provides grants directly to communities for implementation, planning and demonstration projects aimed at preventing deaths and serious injuries on the nation’s roadways. 

Since launching in 2022, SS4A has funded projects in more than 1,400 communities, supporting roadway safety for nearly 75% of the U.S. population, the release stated. 

“Our Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to get Arizona communities like Tempe the resources they need to invest in our roadways and make them safer and more accessible for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians,” Rep. Greg Stanton said in the release.

U.S. Transportation Deputy Secretary Polly Trottenberg also said in the release that the SS4A program gives local and tribal governments the resources to plan and implement the safety improvements that will make the most difference in their communities.

“They know what is best, and this program leverages that local expertise to save lives,” Trottenberg said. 

The project will transform the corridor, which is presently a wide, straight, 6-lane arterial with design features that promote through vehicle movement, according to the release. A full public input process will take place including public meetings and a public comment period before the project will be finalized.

Some of the proposed safety enhancements are:

• Dedicated turn lanes and protected-only left turns;
• A signalized pedestrian crossing connecting multimodal facilities;
• Bus pullouts and shelters;
• Buffered bike lanes;
• High-visibility crosswalk striping and
• Enhancing intersection lighting.

View the full list of SS4A awardees here.