Washington, D.C.
– U.S. Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley today announced that a federal
investment totaling more than $1.7 million has been secured for the cities of
Hermiston and Ontario as well as Jefferson, Douglas and Lane counties to
improve street safety in their communities.
“The ability for all
Oregonians to travel safely on the streets and roads they rely on every day
plays a big part in quality of life and
peace of mind for motorists, pedestrians and cyclists,” Wyden said. “I’m glad these communities have earned
these federal grants, and I’ll keep battling to provide similar safety
investments across Oregon.”“Every Oregonian
deserves to travel the streets of their communities safely,” said
Merkley. “These investments across the
state will transform roadways into safer places for bicyclists, pedestrians,
and drivers. I’m grateful this funding is headed to Oregon, and will continue
working to ensure every Oregonian is able to move about their daily lives
conveniently and safely.”
The funds from the federal Transportation Department’s Safe
Streets for All grant program will be distributed as follows:
·
$800,000 to Lane County Department of Public
Works
·
$280,000 to the City of Hermiston
·
$280,000 to the City of Ontario
·
$200,000 to Jefferson County
·
$163,200 to Douglas County
“The Safe Streets
for All grant funding will allow Lane County to develop the tools we need to
effectively implement Toward Zero Deaths on Lane County roads,” said Pat
Farr, Chair of the Lane County Board of Commissioners. “We are grateful for the opportunity to invest in a new Transportation
Safety Action Plan that will focus on systemic strategies to reducing fatal
crashes on rural roads.”“These funds will
greatly help us plan out future expansions to our transportation network that
are efficient, cost-effective, and safe for all users,” said Hermiston
Mayor Dave Drotzmann. “As the
fastest growing community in Eastern Oregon we continue to look to our State
and Federal partners to help us foster that growth, and this Comprehensive
Safety Action Plan will help all of our partners know that our transportation
network is building out with the safety and inclusion of all community members
in mind.”“On behalf of the
City of Ontario, we would like to thank Senator Wyden and Senator Merkley for
their continued support of helping Ontario obtain grants helping Ontario grow
and prosper as well as make Ontario a safe place to live,” said Ontario
City Manager Dan K. Cummings.“This grant will
fund a Transportation Safety Action Plan that will utilize crash analysis and
screening of our entire roadway network identifying key locations where serious
safety issues exist and or have the potential to exist with added growth,”
said Gus Burril, Madras City Administrator. “This safety plan will help focus future transportation system
investments. The corresponding infrastructure funding available for
completing such a plan is key to implementing the much-needed transportation
improvements in Jefferson County and within the City of Madras.”“Douglas County is
honored to be the recipient of the federal Transportation Department’s Safe
Streets for all grant program,” said Douglas County Commissioner Tom
Kress, Board Chair. “Taking steps to
improve the safety of our roads is critical and we are grateful for the
opportunity to lay the groundwork to build our roadway safety plan.”
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