$25 Million Grant To Make Kalamazoo County Roads Safer

We spend a large majority of our time traveling in vehicles whether that be during our daily commute to work and other obligations or if it's jumping on the highway for a trip. No matter how you want to cut the cake, we spend a lot of our lives sitting in the seat of a vehicle. This is part of the reason why we see car accidents as one of the leading causes of death.

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There are a number of factors that can contribute to the safety level of a stretch of road. Those things include but are not limited to weather conditions, speed, road conditions, tree alignment, and lighting. These factors, when misjudged or not accounted for, can cause serious injury, death, or damage to an individual or their vehicle.

Kalamazoo County has seen a consistent rise in crashes that have caused death or serious harm to residents over the last couple of years. Now, they are looking to improve the conditions and minimize many of these dangers on roads throughout the county.

Kalamazoo County Roads To Become Safer Due To $25 Million Grant

The Road Commision is looking to use federal government funding through the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to make the roads safer and mitigate danger. Kalamazoo County is slated for tree removal and clear zone improvements for over 130 miles.

This comes after the Road Commision found that single vehicle crashes in Kalamazoo County are 10% higher than the state average. Although crashes have been trending downward over the last couple of years, contrary to that point, serious and fatal crashes have risen during this same time period.

The project will also include new rumble strips and wider shoulders as they hope to alert drivers and advert tragedies like the tree that fell on a vehicle and killed 3 children in Michigan. The five-year plan has already started, and tree removal is expected to begin later this year.

Although this project is for Kalamazoo County the Road Commission reiterated that both the cities of Kalamazoo and Portage are responsible for their own roads so they will not be affected.