Weld County officials offered their thanks to members of the Colorado delegation in Washington D.C. for helping to secure grants to help the county make roads safer.
“Making our transportation system as safe and efficient as possible is always a top priority, especially with Weld County projected to continue growing in population,” said Kevin Ross, Commissioner Coordinator for the Weld County Department of Public Works. “We’re pleased to receive this grant and excited to see how the plan developed will benefit our residents moving forward.”
Congresswoman Yadira Caraveo and Congressman Ken Buck were both lauded for their support, writing letters to help Weld County win $400,000 in grants from the Federal State Streets and Roads for All SS4A grand program.
With the funding, Weld County plans an all-inclusive safety action plan for the more than 2,800 miles of rural county road systems. According to officials, the plan is to allocate $100,000 to hire a consulting firm to analyze the most dangerous road in rural Weld County.
With the results from the consultants, the county could take action to improve infrastructure to reduce or eliminate traffic fatalities. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation 2022 Problem Identification report, Weld County is ranked the highest in the state for traffic fatalities.
The SS4A grant received by Weld County is used to study roads in unincorporated Weld County. The Towns and cities in Weld County received an SS4A grant for roads within territories.
“If this study results in saving or preventing one fatality from occurring, this grant effort will be considered a success,” Weld County Public Works Deputy Director Elizabeth Relford said in the grant application. “Weld County has one of the highest fatality rates in the state for the traveling public. We must attempt to do whatever we can to reduce these numbers.”
According to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which controls SS4A funding, the Republican and Democratic Bipartisan voted for Infrastructure Law to establish the grant program. It funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.
Nationwide, 385 communities, including Weld County, received funding from SS4A funding in Fiscal Year 2023, according to officials.
