Thank you to all who have participated in the planning process to date! The first draft of the Safe Streets for All Action Plan is going through initial review.
Project Background
What is the Safe Streets and Roads for All Project for Abita Springs?
The Town of Abita Springs received $252,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets & Roads for All (SS4A) grant program. This funding, combined with a local match of $63,000, is a total project amount of $315,000. This will allow the Town to create a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan, outlining projects and interventions aimed at reducing and eliminating serious injuries and fatal crashes affecting all roadway users: vehicles, transit riders, bicyclists, mobility device users, pedestrians, etc.
The SS4A grant program is guided by the Safe System Approach, which involves a paradigm shift to improve safety culture, increase collaboration across all safety stakeholders, and refocus transportation system design and operation towards anticipating human mistakes and lessening impact forces to reduce crash severity and save lives.
What will be the Outcome of this Project?
This planning effort will result in a Safety Action Plan for the Town that is informed by a Safety Task Force, community members and stakeholders, Town staff, the Abita Springs Master Plan and available data. The plan will include:
- A general introduction and Town leadership commitment to reduce roadway fatalities and serious injuries.
- Data collection and analysis related to community demographics, public health, land use, transportation network, crash data, and equity considerations.
- Community engagement and collaboration to inform existing conditions, transportation equity, and project development and determinations.
- A safety analysis to inform project identification, cost estimates and prioritization for both construction and educational projects.
- Annual progress tracking, and transparent reporting.
Community Engagement
Meaningful community engagement and collaboration occurs when a variety of people are involved in a multitude of ways over an extended period of time.
A community survey and mapping activity were open from August 21st- September 18th. 56 surveys were completed and 51 points were added to the map as community members shared expertise, ideas and concerns.
About 35 community members attended the Safe Streets Open House #1 (September 4th) and about 30 attended Open House #2 (October 10th).
If you haven not been involved yet, sign up for email updates related to the Safety Action Planning process:
Generally, engagement opportunities include:
- The creation of a Safety Task Force (10 volunteers) to guide the engagement and planning process.
- Community meetings (2) and tabling events at the Abita Springs Art & Farmers Market.
- Stakeholder engagement and interviews related to safe streets.
- Survey and map exercises online and in-person.
Project Timeline
The timeline for plan development is May 2024-December 2024. In early 2025, the plan will be officially adopted by the Town and all grant paperwork completed.
August 20, 2024
Announce Safety Task Force at Town Council Meeting
August 21, 2024
Safety Task Force Meeting #1; launch community survey online
August 25, 2024
Tabling at the Art & Farmer's Market from (9:00am-1:00pm): come learn more about the project, ask questions, and participate in the survey!
September 4, 2024
Community Meeting #1 5:30-7:00pm at Town Hall
September 18, 2024
Close community survey
October 2, 2024
Safety Task Force Meeting #2
October 10, 2024
Community Meeting #2 5:30-7:00pm at Town Hall
October 31, 2024
First Draft of Safety Action Plan complete
November 14, 2024
Safety Task Force Meeting #3
December 31, 2024
Final Draft of Plan Complete
Spring 2025
Plan adopted by the Town
Project Contact Information
If you have questions or would like additional information, please reach out to: