Gillen Urges Local Leaders to Secure Federal Grants for Safer Roads
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congresswoman Laura Gillen (NY-04), a Member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, called on Nassau County leaders to apply for the U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program that helps counties, towns, villages and cities develop and implement comprehensive action plans to improve local roadway safety.
“Reckless driving continues to kill thousands of people each year because our roads are not secure,” said Rep. Gillen. “I will continue fighting for effective measures that make our roads safer for every community."
Gillen’s correspondence follows her continued efforts to prevent traffic fatalities and improve road safety. Earlier this month, Rep. Gillen hosted a press conference on the dramatic increase in fatal accidents on Long Island’s roads and announced her commitment step up traffic enforcement and fund infrastructure that prioritizes safety.
The full letter can be found HERE and the text below:
Dear Friend:
As your Representative in Congress, I am urging communities across the Fourth Congressional District of New York to apply for a major federal grant program to help save lives and reduce serious injuries on our roads on Long Island. The U.S. Department of Transportation's (DOT) Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program awards direct federal funding to counties, towns, villages and cities to help develop and implement comprehensive action plans to improve local roadway safety. The program awards grants of between $100,000 to $25 million each, and I would be glad to write a letter of support for your application. You may find the notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) at www.transportation.gov/sites/dot.gov/files/2025-03/SS4A-FY25-NOFO.pdf.
Preventing traffic fatalities and improving road safety is an important issue here on Long Island. On April 11, I joined road safety advocates, local law enforcement and elected officials in Rockville Centre to announce a road safety strategy, including investments in infrastructure like the SS4A program. According to Newsday, more than 2,100 people have been killed and 16,000 severely injured in traffic accidents on Long Island over the past ten years. We can and must work together to help prevent more tragedies.
The Fiscal Year 2025 SS4A application period opened on March 28, and will close on Thursday, June 26, 2025 at 5 pm. These grants are already appropriated from our tax dollars. If we do not apply for opportunities like these, then we are leaving dollars on the table that will go to other towns and cities across the country. In fact, communities across New York received more than $38 million in funding in FY24 and nearly $50 million in FY23.
Again, DOT will accept applications for this grant opportunity until 5:00 PM (EDT) on June 26, 2025. You can find more information on https://www.transportation.gov/grants/SS4A or by emailing the agency at SS4A@dot.gov.
I am proud to represent Long Island on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and improving our infrastructure and curbing roadway deaths and injuries is a top priority for me. I encourage you to apply for this grant and my team and I are eager to assist you and provide a letter asking for full and fair consideration of your application. Please do not hesitate to contact my office at (202) 225-5516 or visit Gillen.House.gov.
Thank you for your attention, and I look forward to working with you to improve Long Island's roads and save lives.
Regards,
Laura Gillen
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