INDOT commits $50M for local safety projects

Call for projects open Sept. 3 through Oct. 11

The Indiana Department of Transportation announced on Monday a commitment of $50 million in Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) funds to support safety improvement projects on local road networks across Indiana.

The commitment solidifies the agency’s renewed focus on safety and related goal of reducing fatal and serious injury crashes on Indiana roadways by 25 percent over the next 10 years.

“This is a goal that we can’t reach on our own,” INDOT Commissioner Mike Smith said. “It’s going to take all of us, at both the state and local levels, working together, to truly enhance roadway safety.”

A Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) is now available, providing an opportunity for local agencies to implement specific safety countermeasures on local roads. Eligible countermeasures are systemic, low-cost improvements that do not require additional right-of-way. Examples include new or updated warning devices, signs or pavement markings, raised medians, curb extensions, pedestrian/crosswalk improvements, guardrail additions or improvements, traffic signal enhancements or adjustments and improvements at rail crossings, among others.

Additional information regarding the NOFA and eligible countermeasures can be found here.

Local cities, towns and counties that receive proposed funding will be required to use funds within two years of award. The call for projects will open on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and close at 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 11.

Focus on safety

Commissioner Smith shared the agency’s new safety-focused goal in late 2023 and identified a number of strategies INDOT will execute this year, in additional to local safety funding, including:

• Buckle Up Phone Down: A large-scale initiative aiming to change driver behavior and tackles two of the most impactful actions people can take each time they get into a vehicle – buckling up and putting the phone down.
• Identifying Solutions: Determining long-, medium- and short-term improvement plans for problematic corridors and intersections on the state road network.
• Regional Safety Summits: All six INDOT districts held regional safety summits, bringing together state and local agencies, first responders and community partners to collaborate on safety-related issues and potential solutions.
• Worksite Speed Control Pilot Program: Deployment of camera technology in up to four INDOT work zones, citations will be issued to drivers traveling more than 11 mph over the posted speed limit. The pilot is expected to begin in early fall of 2024.