Four northwest Ohio counties awarded federal grants to improved road safety

LUCAS COUNTY, Ohio — The United States Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded $24.5 million to the Lucas County Engineer's Office, as well as Lucas, Ottawa, Wood and Sandusky counties for the purposes for improving roadway safety around the region. 

In a press release Thursday, the Lucas County Engineer's Office said the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant was awarded after a year of work by the four counties to create a plan with the goal of reducing roadway deaths and injuries in the area. 

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“It is rewarding to see our local communities in Lucas, Wood, Ottawa, and Sandusky counties come together to draw down this $24.5 million federal award for comprehensive solutions to eliminate traffic fatalities, and to promote safety on our roadways," Representative Marcy Kaptur said in the release. “Working together we are delivering actionable investment across our region

Of the over $20 million in grant money, $1.2 million of it will be used for an education and outreach program, the engineer's office said. The grant will also be used to fund a study on the impact of roundabouts on rural transportation and traffic safety, it said. 

“We believe that the need for safer streets does not stop at the city, village, township, or county line. It takes all jurisdictions working together with a common vision to have zero deaths and serious injuries on our roadways to achieve success,” said Lucas County Engineer Mike Pniewski in the press release. Pniewski worked to lead the team throughout the process. 

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The project was assisted by community partnerships with Bowling Green, Fremont and Toledo, the engineer's office said. 

According to the USDOT, the selected counties in the region suffer from outdated and vehicle-oriented roadways, which make the area unsafe for bicyclists and pedestrians. The grant will support sidewalk widening, multi-use paths and will increase high visibility crosswalks and refuge islands, among other projects. 

The four counties are working together in this project with hopes to eliminate roadway deaths and serious injuries by 2045.