USDOT awards City of Bloomington with $1.44M to improve street safety for drivers, pedestrians, bicyclists 

BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington has been awarded $1.44 million in federal funding to make streets safer and more comfortable for people who drive, walk, bike, and use mobility devices. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Grant Program, which supports communities working to reduce serious crashes and save lives.

With a 20% match from the City, this grant will fund approximately $1.8 million in safe streets projects over the next five years.

“Streets are some of the most shared public spaces we have, and how they’re designed impacts all of us—whether we’re driving to work, walking our kids to school, biking to the Farmers’ Market, or crossing the street to a bus stop,” said Mayor Kerry Thomson. “This funding allows us to test solutions and act earlier.”

The City of Bloomington adopted its Safe Street for All Action Plan in 2024, and its predominant goal is Vision Zero 2039: eliminating all fatal and serious injury crashes on Bloomington roadways by the year 2039.

Projects Awarded

“This funding will allow us to advance transportation projects both large and small—from full corridor studies to place-specific demonstration projects while strengthening connections across our city,” said Planning and Transportation Director David Hittle. “It helps ensure our transportation system is safer, more accessible, and more equitable for residents, regardless of how they choose to travel.”

Corridor Studies

Corridor studies help the City look holistically at how a street functions—not just for cars, but for nearby neighborhoods, businesses, and people walking or biking. These studies examine things like speed, crossings, access, and how land use interacts with traffic patterns, and they recommend both short-term safety improvements and long-term design changes.

With $1 million allocated to corridor studies, the City’s top priority corridor to study with this funding is the S Walnut Street corridor from Dodds Street to Gordon Pike. This corridor was listed as a Medium and Highest priority corridor on the High Priority Network for the southern half and northern half of the corridor, respectively.

If funds remain after completing this study, the City may pursue additional corridor studies on other areas.

Hardened Centerlines Demonstration

Hardened centerlines are physical or highly visible treatments placed in the middle of intersections to slow turning vehicles and shorten crossing distances for pedestrians. They can reduce confusion at busy intersections and make it clearer where vehicles should and should not go.

With $300,000 allocated to designing, implementing, and evaluating the effects of hardened centerlines at major intersections on Bloomington roadways, the City is interested in utilizing hardened centerlines to slow vehicle turning speeds and reduce the area of pedestrian exposure at intersections with high numbers of pedestrian crossings. 

Traffic Signal Conversions Demonstration

Bloomington has many City-owned and maintained traffic signals, some of which may not be warranted or may be contributing to high vehicle speeds in locations where vehicle speeds should be lower to fit the context of the intersection, based on its location

With $350,00 allocated, this demonstration project will involve temporary conversions of up to 5 existing traffic signal locations to all-way stop control, temporary single lane roundabouts, or both options. These pilots allow the City to test real-world safety improvements to gather both data on the modifications and public feedback before making permanent changes.

Demonstration Materials Toolbox

$150,000 has been allocated to procure an array of demonstration materials to test the implementation of potential safety improvements. These items could be utilized in multiple locations around the City for use as a reactive measure to a fatal and serious injury crash or as a proactive measure to test and measure new types of safety treatments. 

These investments support the City of Bloomington’s ongoing commitment to improving roadway safety through data-driven planning, targeted pilot projects, and community-informed decision-making.

To learn more about the Safe Streets for All Action plan, visit https://bloomington.in.gov/onboard/reports/434/download.