Clarksville, TN – The City of Clarksville is pleased to announce that major Federal grant funding has been secured to improve safety on four key roadways in the City.
The five-year implementation grant for Clarksville, administered through the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) SS4A (Safe Streets and Roads For All) project, is in the amount of $8,052,318.
The funds will be used to improve Kraft Street, Riverside Drive, New Providence Boulevard, and Fort Campbell Boulevard, at the request of Clarksville Mayor Joe Pitts’s administration.
The estimated total combined project cost is $10,065,398. The City is responsible for matching up to 20% of the grant.
“This is truly a dream realized for our City and the safety of the people traveling our streets,” said Mayor Pitts.
“We are beyond thrilled to learn that we will be receiving more than $8 million in Federal grant funding to pay for construction that will address vital safety concerns for pedestrians and motorists alike in the northern part of Clarksville.
“It didn’t come easily. Our internal SS4A team led by Lauren Winters, City Grants Director, worked very hard to meet all of the Federal requirements for earning this major grant award.
“Because of the skilled and focused efforts of our team, we were able to progress from initially obtaining some grant funding for developing the SS4A action plan to being selected for the much larger SS4A implementation award enabling actual construction,” Mayor Pitts said.
“Because of this development and the City’s hard work, all of Clarksville wins,” he said.
The safety improvements funded through this Federal grant will directly address pedestrian and vehicle traffic in the targeted areas, generated in part, as USDOT noted, by the presence of Fort Campbell and Austin Peay State University.
The city has experienced a high number of fatal and serious injury crashes in these specific areas of the City, caused by high vehicle speeds and a lack of safe pedestrian facilities.
The project includes intersection improvements, sidewalk installation, traffic signalization, and pedestrian facilities.
These counter-measures will increase pedestrian safety and create safer access points. The project area is entirely within an underserved community.
“This grant award is a huge win for our community. Not only are we making our roads safer for all, we’re bringing in a large amount of Federal funding to help offset the costs associated with those safety improvements,” said Lauren Winters, the City’s Grants Director.
“Thank you to all who provided survey responses to help form the safety action plan. This information was instrumental in my curating a competitive, well-rounded, and heartfelt grant application.
“This is a highly competitive grant, and to have our hometown compete and secure funding – that’s something we should all be proud of,” Winters said.
The projects addressed by SS4A in Clarksville are components of the much-broader, citywide Mayor’s Transportation 2020+ master plan for highway and road improvements, better intersections, improved traffic signalization, and more neighborhood sidewalks.
To view the full master plan, visit https://www.clarksvilletn.gov/1043/Transportation-2020
