Merrimack Valley Planning Commission Gets $375K Safe Streets Grant

BOSTON, MA — The Haverhill-based Merrimack Valley Planning Commission (MVPC) has been awarded $375,233 in federal funds to develop a comprehensive safety action plan, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced Tuesday.

The funding is part of the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets and Roads for All Grant Program. The program was established through the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and includes approximately $5 billion in appropriated funds to be awarded over the next five years.

The grants can be used to by communities or organizations to develop safety action plans, conduct data analyses, and implement projects and strategies that seek to significantly reduce or eliminate transportation-related fatalities and serious injuries involving pedestrians, bicyclists, micromobility users, motorists, public transportation customers, users of personal conveyance, and commercial vehicle operators.

In the current round of funding in Massachusetts, which was allocated by MassDOT, 17 municipalities and regional planning agencies, like MVPC, received approximately $30.6 million.

"MassDOT is pleased to work collaboratively with municipal leaders, metropolitan area planning councils and regional planning agencies to further the goals of Safe Streets for All," said Massachusetts Transportation Secretary and MassDOT CE—O Gina Fiandaca.

Fiandaca continued: "We will continue to support the development of safety action plans and continue to work with our partners to improve transportation infrastructure to help make travel safer for the public whether people choose to walk, bike, take public transportation or drive."

MVPC supports 15 communities, including Andover and and North Andover, by providing planning assistance in the areas of transportation, the environment, land use, economic development and GIS mapping.

This past September, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg supporting the MVPC's and the Northern Middlesex Council of Governments' application for a safety planning grant from the Safe Streets for All program.

The grant is expected to help those organizations —working alongside their municipal partners — create an all-inclusive and equity-focused road safety plan in communities with large immigrant populations where transit accidents are more likely to occur.

"Massachusetts roadways shouldn't be dangerous to cross or pose a risk to pedestrians and cyclists," Markey said. "As motor vehicle deaths increase nationwide, we must meet this road safety crisis with investments in historically underserved neighborhoods."

Markey continued: "These federal grants will help make our roadways safer across Massachusetts— from the Berkshires and Springfield to the Merrimack Valley, Boston, and the Cape — moving our Commonwealth one step closer to achieving zero roadway fatalities. I am proud that the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continues to deliver safe, accessible and equitable transportation solutions for our state."