Denton is gearing up for a major crack at its most dangerous streets, signing off this week on a Vision Zero Action Plan and two big federal grant moves that could funnel about $12.72 million into local safety projects.
At Tuesday’s council meeting, members adopted the city’s Vision Zero roadmap, accepted a $720,000 federal planning reimbursement, and greenlit an application for roughly $12 million in implementation funding. The money would target high-injury corridors and specific problem spots, including upgrades on Hickory Street and Eagle Drive, a study of Windsor Drive at Loop 288, and a new public crash dashboard.
What The Council Approved
According to a City of Denton press release, one vote authorized staff to submit an application for approximately $12 million through the 2026 Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A, grant program. Another vote approved acceptance of a $720,000 SS4A reimbursement grant that will move Denton’s planning work forward.
That reimbursement is set to cover crash-data analysis, roadway safety audits, an interactive crash dashboard and project website, quick-build concepts and longer-term designs, plus a study of bicycle and pedestrian connectivity along Windsor Drive at Loop 288.
How Federal Funding Could Land
The Safe Streets and Roads for All program is a competitive U.S. Department of Transportation grant stream that backs planning and capital projects aimed at preventing traffic deaths using a Safe Systems approach.
The fiscal year 2026 notice of funding opportunity closes next Tuesday, and implementation awards in recent cycles have varied widely. That means a successful Denton bid could support both construction-ready street upgrades and planning tools, depending on how the city’s proposal scores.
Local Examples Dallas And Fort Worth Point To
City leaders in Dallas and Fort Worth have already leaned on Vision Zero strategies and federal planning dollars to push safety projects, and early numbers suggest it is starting to pay off.
New data cited by NBC 5 Dallas-Fort-Worth show a 19% drop in fatal crashes citywide from 2024 to 2025, with about a 52% decline on Loop 12 after intersection redesigns and stepped-up enforcement. Those figures are the kind of results Denton officials are hoping to replicate.
What Fort Worth Has Already Done
Fort Worth rolled out its Vision Zero Safety Action Plan last year and used an SS4A planning award to build the strategy, according to the City of Fort Worth.
The plan includes a High-Injury Network, public outreach, and corridor assessments, and notes that the city received roughly $524,382 in SS4A planning funds. Fort Worth is now converting that groundwork into projects that prioritize school zones and vulnerable road users.
What Comes Next For Denton
City staff will use the reimbursement grant to build Denton’s crash dashboard, carry out safety audits, and develop quick-build concepts that can move into construction if federal implementation funds come through.
Residents can track the effort on the City of Denton Vision Zero project page and public discussion board as the city updates its ADA Transition Plan and schedules community outreach.
Officials say the latest moves put Denton in the same regional lane as Dallas and Fort Worth in the push to cut traffic deaths. The real test, they add, will be whether the city can land the next round of SS4A dollars and turn the planning work into concrete, paint, and built-out safety projects on the ground.
