**FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE**

December 11, 2023 

CONTACT: Emilia Rowland, Emilia.Rowland@mail.house.gov

Lee, Deluzio, Casey, Fetterman Announce $520,000 for Allegheny County Safe Streets Project 

County has averaged over 12,000 crashes per year since 2002

(Washington, D.C). – Today, U.S. Representatives Summer Lee and Rep. Chris Deluzio alongside U.S. Senators Bob Casey (D-PA) and John Fetterman (D-PA) announced $520,000 in federal funding for the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission (SPC) to develop a comprehensive plan of action to make Allegheny County’s streets safer for all road users. 

Congresswoman Lee said, “I am so proud to announce over half a million dollars from the Department of Transportation to enhance the safety and accessibility of our roads for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists. By developing a comprehensive Vision Zero Safety Action Plan, we are taking a huge step towards identifying and rectifying the most hazardous areas in our community. This initiative not only promises a safer today but also lays the groundwork for expanding these vital safety measures across Southwestern Pennsylvania, ensuring a more secure tomorrow for all our residents.”

“Great news that Western Pennsylvania locked down more than half a million in federal investments from the Department of Transportation,” said Rep. Chris Deluzio. “We have to make our streets safer for all who use them—drivers, kids heading to school, pedestrians, cyclists, and more. I am grateful that the federal government can support Allegheny County’s work towards this goal.”

“The infrastructure law is making our roads safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers alike,” said Senator Casey. “I was proud to advocate for funding to help the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission identify Allegheny County’s most dangerous roads in order to make them safer and save lives.”

“The bottom line is that we are facing a street safety crisis in America — and in Pennsylvania. The thousands of lives we lose due to unsafe streets is unacceptable, and it’s long past time we in Washington do something about it,” said Senator Fetterman. “This funding will provide Allegheny County with the resources they need to make streets safer for everyone on the roads.”

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant, funded by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), will allow SPC to create a Vision Zero Safety Action Plan to identify the most critical projects. Senator Casey supported SPC’s grant for this funding to develop a Vision Zero comprehensive Safety Action Plan. After launching this initiative in Allegheny County, SPC plans to expand it to its other member counties in Southwestern Pennsylvania. This will build on SPC’s previous efforts, including its 2020 Regional Transportation Safety Action Plan, to bring increased safety to the entire Southwestern Pennsylvania region.

Since taking office in January, Lee, who serves on the House Oversight Committee and Space, Science and Technology Committee, has delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $1 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $200 million for infrastructure, over $50 million for affordable transit, and over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania’s infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 1,380 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.

###