Whitfield County has received a $160,000 federal Safer Streets grant to fund a comprehensive safety action plan.
It is part of some $5 million in safety funding for Georgia jointly announced by the state’s two Democratic U.S. senators, Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock, as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“I am glad to see Georgians continue to benefit from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law I was proud to champion,” said Warnock.
Ossoff said that “Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Sen. Warnock and I are delivering upgrades to ensure pedestrian and commuter safety across Georgia.”
Whitfield County Board of Commissioners Chairman Jevin Jensen said county officials are “happy to receive this new grant.”
“It will allow us to build a safety plan for key roads and intersections throughout the county,” he said. “The plan will identify road projects that are needed to improve safety within the community. In turn, it makes the county much more competitive with planning grants to fund the design phase of projects that can be leveraged on capital grants. Once we complete this plan, future grants received under Safer Streets will be 100% reimbursed, with no county match required.”
Jensen said the intersection of Reed Road and Poplar Springs Road is one area that will be looked at with funding from the grant.
“I am sure the (county engineering) team has many others,” he said.