Congressman Cohen Announces Safe Streets and Roads For All Grant from Department of Transportation

WASHINGTON – Congressman Steve Cohen (TN-09), a senior member of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and its Subcommittee on Highways and Transit, today announced that the City of Memphis will receive a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant of $640,000 for preparation of a comprehensive “Safe Streets for All” plan.

This discretionary program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which he supported and that became law in 2021. The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

Congressman Cohen has reintroduced and supported the Complete Streets Act, seeking to provide safe and accessible transportation options for multiple modes of travel, as well as for people of all ages and abilities. A “complete street” can accommodate pedestrians, bicyclists, and public transit users, not just cars and freight vehicles. In 2019, he convened a roundtable to discuss “complete streets” principles with local stakeholders. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law aligns with the Congressman’s Complete Streets Act by requiring states and metropolitan planning organizations to set aside 2.5 percent of their highway planning funding for designing complete streets projects.

Congressman Cohen made the following statement:

“The funding for a comprehensive plan to provide Memphis with safer streets for all types of users will go a long way in improving safe, timely and efficient transportation in our city, which is ranked third in the nation for pedestrian fatalities. This funding will advance our efforts to make Memphis a safer city for all of our road users.”

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