Earlier this month, the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) announced the recipients of the latest round of Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP) grants. A total of nearly $41 million in grants were awarded to communities in 22 counties with the goal of reducing the risk of pedestrian-involved crashes and roadway departure crashes. Both categories have seen an increase in fatality-involved crashes over the past decade, as documented in ODOT’s recently released Vulnerable Road User Safety Assessment.

Twenty-six of the announced grants are directly tied to pedestrian projects either physical infrastructure or the installation of safety equipment intended to promote bike/ped safety. These grants account for $37.7 million (92.2 percent) of the awarded funds in HSIP grants. These grants cover a long list of proven improvements and countermeasures designed to help make roadways safer.

One final project involves a roadway departure improvement. The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) defines roadway departure related crashes as one which occurs after a vehicle crosses an edge line or a center line, or otherwise leaves the traveled lane. A total of $3.2 million will support this project.

The 2024 HSIP awards represent a small decline in the total number of overall projects (28 in 2023) but an increase the dollars invested in projects (14% increase year over year). There was also a substantially larger percentage increase in funds going towards bike/ped infrastructure (a 32.2% increase year over year).

The HSIP program is available to communities throughout Ohio. Project sponsors can request up-to $2 million for a pedestrian project, and $5 million for roadway departure safety improvements for all project phases. A 10% local match is required, but may be reduced/removed if the project sponsor meets certain distressed criteria. Maintenance projects for existing infrastructure are not an eligible use under the program.

Applications for the HSIP program typically open in the fall (late November/Early December) and are due by the end of January of the following year. The application for funding can be found here. ODOT’s Safety office offers planning and Technical Assistance grants, an active transportation planning toolkits, and more to help communities develop plans that will be competitive for future HSIP funds.

After reviewing the full list of grant recipients, GOPC is highlighting one project from each category.

Sidewalk/Enhanced Crossing

Village of Timberlake | Lake County $1,136,793 FY2027

The Village is receiving funding to support the installation of sidewalk along the north side of State Route 282 (Lakeshore Boulevard) and three enhanced crossings for transit stop access. Laketran, the county transit agency, is providing the local match requirement to support the project intended to enhance safety in the area for children and those with mobility challenges.

Multi-Use Path

City of Ashland | Ashland County $1,619,789 FY2027

The City of Ashland will install 1 mile of 6 feet wide sidewalk on the north side, and 11 feet wide shared use path on the south side of E. Main Street (U.S. 250), a busy commercial corridor where the sidewalks in the area currently terminate.

Hybrid Beacons

City of Bowling Green | Wood County $560,000 FY2026

The City of Bowling Green will install two new crossings with pedestrian hybrid beacons along S. Main Street near Napolean Road

Traffic Calming Measures

City of Portsmouth | Scioto County $760,500 FY2027

The City of Portsmouth will install bump-outs, enhanced crossings, and traffic calming measures along 17th Street between Grandview Avenue and Mabert Road. This half mile of residential area will provide safer access to Mound Park and the Portsmouth Earthworks.

Road Widening Projects

Village of Anna | Shelby County $986,848 FY2026

The Shelby County Engineer’s office will receive an HSIP Grant to widen County Road 25A from Anna Road to S.R. 274. This stretch of roadway carries U.S. Bike Route 25, and the project will provide additional recovery area and room for bicyclists.

Road Repurpose

Franklin Township (Columbus) | Franklin County $1,548,260 FY2028

The Franklin County Engineer will reduce Fisher Road from 4 lanes to 3 lanes and add buffered bike lanes and sidewalks to both sides of the road between Wilson Road and Hague Avenue, a roughly one mile stretch through a residential neighborhood on the west side of Columbus.

Buggy Lane

Ohio Department of Transportation | Wayne County $4,000,000 FY2025

ODOT District 3 will use an HSIP grant to design 4.6 miles of 8 feet wide buggy lanes on Kidron Road in support of a federal RAISE grant application.