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 Abita Springs water tower looking northwest on LA-36

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

Tabling at the Art & Farmer's Market on August 25th included information sharing, surveys, and a road safety activity for kids.

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.

Community members engage with information boards and maps at the September 4th Open House.


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:

Traffic circle at LA-36 and LA-59 looking northwest toward the Trailhead

The Tammany Trace crossing the Abita River

The Abita Springs water tower looking northwest on LA-36

Tabling at the Art & Farmer's Market on August 25th included information sharing, surveys, and a road safety activity for kids.

Community members engage with information boards and maps at the September 4th Open House.

Traffic circle at LA-36 and LA-59 looking northwest toward the Trailhead

The Tammany Trace crossing the Abita River