SS4A Grant Funds Would Support Projects Anticipated to Save Lives Along Corridors of Concern
MILWAUKEE – Today, County Executive David Crowley announced that the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) has awarded Milwaukee County with the third-largest Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Grant in the federal program’s 2025 funding cycle.
Milwaukee County will receive nearly $25 million to fund 67 traffic safety projects along ten of the area’s most hazardous roadways. The projects are expected to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes at targeted intersections and road segments by 26%–50% along ten Milwaukee County Corridors of Concern. The projects are anticipated to save an estimated $1.2 billion in car crash costs over 20 years. Funding will be managed by the Milwaukee County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) and distributed to five local municipalities.
“I am proud my administration secured new funding that will save lives along our most hazardous roads and intersections by addressing speeding – the number one reason people die in crashes,” said County Executive Crowley. “Tackling this serious public safety issue is a collaborative effort. I’m grateful to our federal partners for joining us to support our Vision Zero goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries by 2037. I also want to recognize our local partners for their dedication to safer roads. I remain committed to working with anyone who shares our mission to deliver investments that make Milwaukee County safer and stronger for working families across our community.”
Traffic crashes don’t affect all Milwaukee County neighborhoods equally. The projects supported by the grant focus on building out traffic calming infrastructure that will reduce reckless driving and crashes where needed most.
“This funding will allow the City of Milwaukee to deliver critical safety improvements to some of the most dangerous corridors in the City, including State highways. We value our partnership with Milwaukee County and appreciate the federal support as we work together to make streets in the City and County safer for everyone,” said Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson.
The 65 infrastructure projects supported by the federal grant aim to reduce speeding and crashes along ten Corridors of Concern, roadways that have been identified as the most hazardous in the County. The grant will also fund two planning studies. Projects include:
- Pedestrian infrastructure upgrades: To help reduce the impact of crashes involving people walking and using transit, projects will include high-visibility crosswalks, upgraded pedestrian walk signals, restricting right-turn-on-red, and sidewalk network expansion.
- Intersection upgrades: To improve safety for vulnerable roadway users and motorists, intersection upgrades will include traffic signal upgrades, better visibility for pedestrians, bump-outs, and select geometric realignments.
- High-speed corridor upgrades: To improve safety along three of the County’s highest-speed corridors, improvements are proposed to calm traffic, help drivers stay in their lanes, and reduce reckless driving on the 16th Street viaduct, the 27th Street viaduct and the 35th Street viaduct.
- Lincoln Avenue Transportation Safety Planning Study: The City of West Allis will conduct a safety analysis study on W. Lincoln Avenue between S. 124th Street and S. 52nd Street and recommend strategies to improve safety for all roadway users.
- Road to Vision Zero Report: MCDOT will use supplemental planning funding to develop a report that will assess the County’s progress toward achieving its goal of Vision Zero by 2037.
Project sites include the City of Milwaukee, the City of West Allis, the City of Glendale, the Village of Brown Deer, the Village of Shorewood and multiple County Trunk Highways. Municipalities will lead the projects in their jurisdiction and provide a 20% local match to support project costs. Safety project locations and details will be located on MCDOT’s website at county.milwaukee.gov/mcdot.
“We are grateful to partner with Milwaukee County to build safe streets here at home,” said Brown Deer Village President Wanda Montgomery. “Brown Deer looks forward to using these grant dollars to improve 60th Street in front of our schools including the intersection at Dean Road. We thank the County for their leadership and collaboration on this important issue.”
Project Selection
The 2025 SS4A grant award stems from MCDOT’s Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project, a multi-phase safety initiative to increase multimodal safety and address reckless driving across all 19 municipalities in Milwaukee County.
As part of the Project, MCDOT conducted a comprehensive analysis of the transportation landscape and recent crash data, identifying 25 Corridors of Concern in the County. The analysis identified 522 Safety Project Opportunities, with 142 ranked as top priorities due to those locations’ high rates of fatal and serious injury crashes. The 67 traffic safety projects support the work done in other phases of the Project and are located at both priority and non-priority locations along ten Corridors of Concern across the County.
Preliminary designs are anticipated to begin in 2027, with all projects completed by 2031.
About The Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project
The Complete Communities Transportation Planning Project was launched in 2023 to help make roads safer for everyone in Milwaukee County. Phase Three of the Project is nearing completion, as the County works with each of its 19 municipalities to complete individual Safety Action Plans. Learn more about Milwaukee County’s efforts to combat reckless driving.
About The SS4A Grant Program
The SS4A program funds regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway fatalities and serious injuries. The SS4A program supports the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy and our goal of zero roadway deaths using a Safe System Approach.
The next round of funding solicitations for SS4A is expected in mid-2026. MCDOT plans to continue to work with municipalities interested in seeking additional funding at that time.
