By Curt Yeomans
Gwinnett County is getting $1.6 million to try out new management techniques and improve transportation-related data analytics and technologies, U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath announced on Thursday.
The congresswoman said Gwinnett is getting a Safe Streets and Roads For All grant from the U.S. Department of transportation. McBath had written a letter of support for the county’s grant application back in May.
The grant program is part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law of 2021.
“Gwinnett County continues to set a strong example for the metro Atlanta region in pursuing new and unique ways to grow while keeping an emphasis on safety and equity,” McBath said. “I was proud to lend my support to the county’s application for the Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, and I am pleased that our nation’s Department of Transportation recognizes the need for this funding in such an important part of our state. None of this would have been possible without the transformative Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and I am so grateful to Secretary (Pete) Buttigieg and the Biden-Harris Administration for making this needed investment in our growing community.”
The plan is for Gwinnett officials to use the grant money to conduct a pilot of new speed management treatments, implement enhanced data analytics and incorporate new traffic data technologies, all in an effort to plan and evaluate steps to improve safety on the county’s roads. The county’s Transportation Department will identify high-priority areas and corridors that are most in need of steps to mitigate safety risks.
Gwinnett County has 2,650 miles of roadway and experienced 283 fatalities on its roadways between 2017 and 2021, according to McBath’s office. At the same time, it has now surpassed 1 million residents and is expected to continue growing, with traffic expected to increase alongside that growth.