The streets of Minneapolis are set for a major safety overhaul after the U.S. Department of Transportation tossed a $20 million lifeline to the city. This grant is part of the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) initiative and will fund the city's latest push to cut down traffic-related fatalities and severe injuries as part of their 2023–2025 Minneapolis Vision Zero Action Plan. The dough will go into upgrading nearly all of their high-injury streets—spots notorious for horrific crashes that haven't already been slated for investment, according to Minneapolis, City of Lakes.

The grant aims to transform 25 miles worth of these danger zones with an assortment of gadgets and tweaks—protected bikeways, flashy pedestrian flashers, and road diets, just to name a few. In all, the cash injection is aimed at 526 intersections due to a signal facelift and streets lit up like Christmas to curb the late-night risks. Not to be left out, mobile speed wagons will also cruise around, reminding lead-footed drivers to take it easy on the gas, as per the City of Minneapolis.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey was exuberant about the federal windfall, claiming that the investment was a triumph for neighborhood vitality and safety. "The City of Minneapolis is thrilled to be a recipient of the 2023 Safe Streets and Roads for All grant, and we know this funding will help us continue to make improvements to the vitality, connectivity, and accessibility of our city streets," Frey told reporters. 

The clock is already ticking for Minneapolis to execute this safety plan. The city has a five-year window to put the grant to use following the agreement's finalization. With planning set to begin promptly, the majority of these life-saving street renovations are expected to roll out between 2026 and 2029, according to the Minneapolis, City of Lakes.