Richmond will have $8,859,934 more towards creating safer streets, thanks to funds from the Virginia Highway Safety Improvement Program. The Department of Public Works announced the grant on Wednesday, Feb. 22.

The VHSIP money comes from federal grants and requires no matching funds from the city.

DPW says the money will go towards safety improvements on roads that are either on the city's High Injury Street Network, within a pedestrian safety action plan corridor, or within an underserved community.

Here are some of the improvements that could be added to our streets, by the numbers.

772 high visibility signal backplates that could be installed on traffic lights
338 high visibility crosswalks
255 flashing yellow arrow signal heads
200 stop-controlled intersections with new signs and pavement markings
10 intersections with new left turn hardening measures

Each of the improvements would help the city move towards its goal of Vision Zero — a global strategy to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries.

Before work begins, VDOT and the city will form a project agreement and present it to City Council for review and approval. The funding is marked for fiscal year 2025, which begins in July 2024.