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The Gary Secures $140K USDOT Grant to Develop Comprehensive Safety Action Plan; Launches Survey for Resident Feedback

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GARY, IND. – In 2023 the city of Gary was awarded a $140,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to develop a Safety Action Plan (SAP). The SS4A is a national program that funds local efforts to develop plans and implement strategies to make local roads and streets safer.

What is the plan?

The goal of Gary’s Safety Action Plan is to create a roadmap for reducing serious and fatal crashes in the city.  The plan will identify where crashes are occurring, what factors contribute to serious and fatal crashes, and what top safety concerns are among community members. Strategies will then be developed to address safety concerns and those factors that result in the most serious crashes.

By developing an SAP, the city will become eligible to receive additional funding from USDOT to implement safety strategies identified in the plan, which may include roadway and streetscape improvements, education and awareness programming, and more.  

What has been found so far?

A core component of creating a SAP is analyzing data to understand the characteristics of crashes and why they are occurring. So far, safety analyses have found that:

• From 2018-2022, there was an average of 14.8 traffic fatalities annually on Gary streets.

• Young people (under 20) and seniors (over 60) accounted for 5 traffic fatalities annually during this period.

• Preliminary analysis have found several hot spots for fatal and serious injury crashes, including Broadway & 5th Ave, Broadway & Ridge Rd, 5th Ave & Bigger St, 4th Ave & Bigger St, and Lake St & Dunes Hwy.

How can I get involved?

Input from community members is critical to understanding how people get around Gary, what safety concerns they have, and what improvements they would like to see to keep all road users safe.  

There are several ways to provide your valuable input:

1. Take a fsurvey to share about your experience getting around Gary.

2. Visit the project website where you can pinpoint safety concerns and suggest improvements on an interactive map and stay up to date on the plan’s progress.

3. Share your feedback in person at the Gary Back to School Fest, August 10 at the Gary RailCats Steel Yard!

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