Our Strategic Transportation Safety Plan studies the causes of fatalities and serious injuries on our roadways. Working with your emergency service providers and roadway engineers we are developing strategies to reduce those crashes. This plan looks at five key elements of traffic safety: Equity, Engineering, Education, Enforcement, and Emergency Medical Services/Response. All of these are part of what we call a Safe System Approach that helps to improve roadway safety for all users.

This Safety Plan is a coordinated effort between four rural Counties: Cochise, Graham, Greenlee, and Santa Cruz Counties. Data is being broken out and studied for six Geographic Focus Areas (GFAs): Greenlee County Santa Cruz County Cochise County (excluding the SVMPO area) Sierra Vista Metropolitan Planning Organization area Graham County (excluding San Carlos Apache lands) San Carlos Apache lands within Graham County

Safety plans are usually updated every five years. We look at the ideas and projects identified in the last plan to see if they helped to reduce crashes and meet other goals of each County by: Updating the underlying safety data that is used to make decisions about project funding Include transportation improvements that have been made since our last plan Identify new safety planning best practices and recommend the ones that could make a difference in our region. Provide consistency with the safety emphasis areas that the State has identified in the Arizona statewide safety plan. Inform our residents and the traveling public and stakeholders about safety concerns in our region and let them know how you can help us make sure everyone gets home safely. Provide strategies for roadway safety to decision-makers that focus on education, enforcement, and emergency response.

The completed Safety Plan will have valuable information that includes: Goals and performance metrics that measure our progress toward reducing fatalities and serious injuries in our region. Recommends strategies and projects that may reduce fatalities and serious injury crashes for vehicles and multimodal transportation users. The Final Report will prioritize recommended safety improvement projects for roadway segments and intersections, as well as strategies for encouraging safer driver behavior. And the Safety Plan will lead to several Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) applications that will submit the top-ranked prioritized projects for possible funding.

We do not have a full set of prioritized projects identified yet. We do know that feasible strategies may range from physical design treatments to policy, education, enforcement, and technology options. For design treatments, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) Proven Safety Countermeasures will be used heavily, which include: Appropriate Speed Limits Bicycle Lanes Crosswalk Visibility Enhancements Medians and Pedestrian Refuge Islands Pedestrian Hybrid Beacons Road Diets (Roadway Configuration) Enhanced Delineation Rumble Strips Safety Edge Median Barriers Access Management Roundabouts

Decision-makers in all four Counties, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe, will be given the results and recommendations of the Safety Plan to help them in choosing transportation projects and prioritizing their limited funding to make a positive difference that may lower crashes on their area’s roadways. HSIP applications for top-ranking prioritized projects will be prepared during the study, and required information for additional future HSIP applications will be provided to local agencies. The STSP will also contain all required elements of a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Safety Action Plan so that SEAGO, SVMPO, and member agencies could also apply for SS4A implementation grants.

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) established the new Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) discretionary program, with $5 billion in appropriated funds over 5 years, 2022-2026. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries. The following groups of applicants are eligible for the SS4A grant program: Counties, cities, towns, transit agencies, and other special districts that are political subdivisions of a State. Metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs). Federally recognized Tribal governments. SS4A requires an eligible Action Plan be in place before applying to implement projects and strategies. Implementation grants provide Federal funds to implement projects and strategies identified in a Safety Action Plan to address specific roadway safety problem. Projects and strategies can be infrastructure, behavioral, and/or operational activities. Implementation Grants may also include demonstration activities, supplemental planning, and project-level planning, design, and development.

Information related to the SS4A Grant Program can be found on U.S. Department of Transportation website. https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4 A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) is released each year of the grant program. The Notice of Funding Opportunity solicits applications for Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grants. The 2023 NOFO can be reviewed online (https://www.transportation.gov/grants/ss4a/fy23-nofo).