City wins highway safety funding

Several road safety-related projects in the Austin area have been selected to be the beneficiaries of the Texas Department of Transportation’s 2020 Highway Safety Improvement Program. The funded projects include new signal installations and safety lightings on segments of roadway that have been identified as “high-injury” by the Austin Transportation Department. The planned improvements “can reduce up to 25 injuries per year,” according to a news release from ATD, which added that recent work to improve the department’s crash data “enabled quick identification of specific locations where local projects would rank and compete best for local streets funding through this program.” Assistant City Manager Gina Fiandaca said in the release, “The city of Austin is proud to partner with TxDOT for these vital safety improvements. We have a community goal to reach zero deaths and serious injuries on our roadways despite being one of the fastest-growing cities in the nation.”