ATHENS — The U.S. Department of Transportation recently announced $813 million in grant awards through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, and the city of Athens is one of the awardees.

The city of Athens’ Planning Department applied for a $240,000 grant to update the city’s transportation plan. The city of Athens will match that with $60,000.

City planner Erin Tidwell said the city has completed the objectives on its 2015 transportation plan. She said this federal grant opportunity provides Athens an ideal time to seek funding to support development of the Athens 2040 Vision Zero: Comprehensive Safety Action Plan.

Planner Paige Parker, who wrote the grant, noted Athens has a population of 28,661 people and has experienced a population growth of 12.8 percent between 2020 and 2022. The Athens 2040 Vision Zero plan will look at accommodating for the unprecedented growth and identifying new projects that will support designing streets and transportation systems through all modes of transportation.

Once developed, Athens can utilize the plan to seek additional funding for capital projects identified in the Athens 2040 Vision Zero plan.

“Through the Safe Streets and Roads for All program, we have now announced safety funding going directly to communities representing seventy percent of the people living in this country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are acting to confront the crisis of safety on our nation’s roads, helping communities work to reduce traffic deaths to the only acceptable number: zero.”

In December, Athens Police responded to two hit-and-run accidents on U.S. 72, one which resulted in a fatality. Police Chief Anthony Pressnell said updating the transportation plan is essential.

“We need to work with ALDOT on improving intersections on U.S. 72 with signalized crosswalks and lighting,” Pressnell said. “I also think we need to work with ALDOT on lowering the speed limit through town. You have pockets coming into town where it is 50 mph, and then pockets where it is 45 mph through heavily traveled areas, and we are seeing more pedestrians crossing that highway.”