Tom Perez, Senior White House Advisor, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, will join City of Savannah and state officials on Thursday, Oct. 31, in front of the Bull Street Library to celebrate a $9.9 million grant awarded to Savannah by the U.S. Department of Transportation to enhance safety at intersections along 37th Street.
Director Perez will deliver remarks alongside Ann Purcell, chair of the State Transportation Board of Georgia, Mayor Van R. Johnson II, and City Manager Joseph A. Melder.
In September, the City of Savannah’s Vision Zero Program was awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant as part of $1 billion in new funding released by the DOT under the 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal. Along with Savannah, funding was awarded to 354 local, regional, and tribal communities to improve roadway safety and prevent deaths and serious injuries.
The Vision Zero funding will target 15 intersections along 37th Street, upgrading them with new signals, dedicated left-turn lanes, sidewalks, crosswalks, and extended bicycle lanes. The City will match the $9.9 million grant with $2.4 million, bringing the total project cost to $12.3 million.
In February 2022, City Council passed a resolution implementing the Vision Zero Initiative, followed by the completion of the Vision Zero Action Plan in September of that year. The plan identified 37th Street as part of a high-injury network and recommended it as a high priority for improvements. Between 2018 and 2022, approximately 970 crashes were recorded along this major east-west connector, which links central Savannah to I-16 access. The corridor is one of the City’s highest-risk roadways, with frequent intersection and turning crashes involving pedestrian fatalities.
The grant funding will support new planning activities aimed at meeting several objectives, including capturing the most recent safety data, identifying the impacts of improvements, and engaging the public and the Vision Zero Task Force in the planning process.
What: SS4A Grant Event
When: Oct. 31, 2:30 p.m.
Where: Bull Street Library, 2002 Bull St.
