By Greg Jordan, Bluefield Daily Telegraph
BLUEFIELD, W.Va. – A more than $25 million federal grant announced Thursday by the U.S. Department of Transportation will help the city of Bluefield make transportation easier for pedestrians, bicycle riders, wheelchair users and others who rely on local roadways.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced $25,748,152 in grants Thursday for West Virginia as part of $1 billion in grants through President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program.
The city of Bluefield was awarded $25,547,532 for the Making Residents, Students, and Visitors Safer in the Education and Recreation District to make safety improvements to a key gateway into historic African American communities and entrance to Bluefield State University. The transportation infrastructure in the project area was built without consideration for people walking, biking, and rolling, and popular destinations do not include sidewalks or shoulders. Pedestrians, cyclists, and wheelchair users must share the road with minimal facilities for their travel.
The project will convert four key intersections to roundabouts, create pedestrian and bicycle accommodations through a strategic mountain gap, and make safety improvements that include implementing traffic-calming strategies and installing sidewalks, crosswalks, rectangular rapid-flashing beacons, and street lighting on selected corridors.
West Virginia also received $200,620 for a safety planning and demonstration project.
