REPORT TO THE CITY COUNCIL
FROM: SCOTT L. MOZIER, PE, Director
Public Works Department
BY: JILL M. GORMLEY, TE, Assistant Director
Public Works Department, Traffic & Engineering Services Division
CHERYL L. BURNS, MPA, Business Manager
Public Works Department, Traffic & Engineering Services Division
SUBJECT
Title
***RESOLUTION - Authorizing the Submission of a Safe Streets and Roads for All Implementation Grant Application to the United States Department of Transportation and Authorizing the Public Works Director or Designee to Accept and Execute All Application and Grant Agreement Documents on Behalf of the City of Fresno (Council Districts 3 and 7) (Subject to Mayor’s Veto)
Body
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that the City Council adopt a resolution authorizing the submission of a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant application to the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) and authorize the acceptance, along with the execution, of all grant agreement documents by the Public Works Director or Designee.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Staff is requesting authorization to submit an application to the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Discretionary Grant Program. SS4A is a grant program authorized under Section 24112 of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). The purpose of this grant is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development of Action Plans and refinement and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators. The Fiscal Year 2026 SS4A program provides funding for two types of grants: Planning and Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants.
The proposed Public Works Department (DPW) application for a SS4A Implementation Grant would request funding for up to $5,000,000 for the purpose of implementing the Belmont Avenue Safe Streets Project to implement the recommended safety improvements identified in the Vision Zero Action Plan.
BACKGROUND
Section 24112 of the IIJA authorized and appropriated approximately $1 billion to be awarded by the Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 2026 for the SS4A discretionary grant program. The purpose of the SS4A program is to improve roadway safety by significantly reducing or eliminating roadway fatalities and serious injuries through the development of Action Plans and refinement and implementation focused on all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, public transportation users, motorists, and commercial vehicle operators. The program provides funding to develop tools to strengthen a community’s approach to roadway safety and save lives.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) was published on March 27, 2026, with nearly $1 billion available in funding for Federal Fiscal Year 2026. SS4A provides funding for two types of grants: Planning and Demonstration Grants and Implementation Grants.
Implementation Grants fund projects and strategies identified in an Action Plan that address roadway safety problems. To be eligible for an Implementation Grant, applicants must have an adopted eligible Action Plan.
In the Fiscal Year 2022 funding cycle, the City was awarded a planning grant for the development of the Vision Zero Action Plan (VZAP). Vision Zero is a strategy that strives to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safety, health, and equitable mobility for all. Vision Zero is a commitment to approach traffic safety in fundamentally different ways through systemic changes. The City’s VZAP is scheduled for City Council adoption on May 21, 2026. Once adopted, the VZAP will serve as the City’s eligible Action Plan, making the City eligible to apply for an SS4A implementation grant.
In the Fiscal Year 2025 funding cycle, the City was awarded an SS4A grant for a supplemental planning project to conduct a supplemental intersection safety audit to further the work being done as part of the VZAP.
After analyzing five years of collision data; demographic, land use, and destination data; and community input, the VZAP project team identified the top five (5) priority street segments and five (5) priority intersections. The final ten (10) locations represent key opportunities in Fresno for reducing fatal and severe injuries through coordinated infrastructure and non-infrastructure strategies. These locations reflect not only crash history, but also community context, access needs, and equity considerations.
The proposed Belmont Avenue Safe Streets Project (Project) will implement recommended safety improvements identified in the VZAP along one of the top priority corridors - Belmont Avenue between Palm Avenue and Abby Street. Improvements will consist of elements such traffic signal modification, Leading Pedestrian Interval (LPI)/Accessible Pedestrian Signals (APS), high-visibility crosswalks, left turn phasing, video detection, and bike boxes at key intersections along the corridor. The Project also proposes a corridor study to determine the feasibility of enhanced active transportation components along Belmont Avenue between Abby Street and Cedar Avenue and the feasibility of improved pedestrian crossings featuring Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons (RRFBs) and/or High-Intensity Activated Crosswalks (HAWKs) along the corridor.
Grant applications for the FY 2026 SS4A Grant Program are due on May 26, 2026. The expected period of performance for Planning and Demonstration Grant agreements is between 24 months and 5 years. Federal share of the SS4A grant may not exceed 80% of total activity costs, therefore, recipients are required to provide a 20% non-Federal matching share.
The City Attorney’s office has reviewed and approved the resolution as to form.
ENVIRONMENTAL FINDINGS
This action is not subject to California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) Guidelines Section 15378 (CEQA) at this time. This action involves an application for funding, and it is uncertain if funding will be awarded. If sufficient funds are awarded to complete a future project, the appropriate CEQA analysis will be prepared and brought to Council for approval along with formal project approval.
LOCAL PREFERENCE
Local preference is not included because this resolution does not include a bid or award of a construction or services contract.
FISCAL IMPACT
This resolution will have no impact on the General Fund. Should the grants be awarded, local matching funds will be identified through future fiscal year capital budgets.
Attachments:
Resolution
Vicinity Map