Grant will fund innovative safety analysis, quick-build projects, and education activities
[Boston] — The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) has been awarded a $6.25 million grant to conduct cutting-edge analysis, pilot safety interventions, and support safety education programs. Five million dollars of federal funding for this grant is provided by the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program established by the 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, with $1.25 million in matching funds from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
Building on the MPO’s development and recent endorsement of the Boston region’s first Vision Zero Action Plan and subsequent work piloting quick-build traffic-calming projects, the MPO will lead a regional initiative, called Safety Forward: Accelerating Road Safety Innovation, to advance progress toward eliminating traffic fatalities and serious injuries.
The MPO, in partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology, will use analysis conducted during development of the Vision Zero Action Plan to create a new analytical framework to help planners and policymakers better understand the experiences and perceptions of people who walk, bike, and roll. This innovative approach will help direct resources to the places where interventions will deliver the greatest safety benefits and build public confidence. The MPO will also partner with municipalities to implement and test quick-build projects that allow communities to test safety improvements efficiently, and to undertake educational efforts that improve safety for children and teens through hands-on programs designed to help young people develop safe travel habits.
“Safety Forward represents the next phase of the MPO’s regional effort to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on our roadways,” said Tegin Teich, Executive Director of the Boston Region MPO. “This initiative will advance a people-centered and data-driven approach to safety that helps municipalities better understand risk and pilot interventions in their communities. By combining new analytical tools, local partnerships, and quick-build approaches, Safety Forward will help communities move quickly to address safety needs while building public support for long-term, permanent improvements.”
This is the third SS4A grant awarded to the Boston Region MPO. In 2023, the MPO received $2.7 million in funding to develop a regional Vision Zero Action Plan. In 2024, the MPO was awarded $9.4 million in funding to support municipalities with safety planning and quick-build traffic-calming projects across the region.
The MPO’s Safety Forward initiative is a core component of a broader regional strategy to prioritize human life and health over vehicle speed as outlined in the Vision Zero Action Plan. This approach focuses on designing and funding a transportation network with multiple layers of protection to prevent crashes from occurring in the first place and to minimize the harm caused when they do occur.
The Boston Region MPO is the regional organization responsible for conducting federal transportation planning processes for 97 cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts with a combined population of 3.4 million. The MPO develops a vision for the regional transportation system and allocates federal and state transportation funds to programs and projects that improve infrastructure for people walking, biking, rolling, taking transit, and driving. Learn more at bostonmpo.org.
