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Whitefish Safe Streets for All Action Plan

The City of Whitefish was recently awarded federal grant funds from the US Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program to complete an Action Plan focused on reducing traffic deaths and serious injuries and improving safety for all roadway users in the Whitefish community. Once complete, the Action Plan will identify the most significant safety concerns facing the community and outline specific projects and strategies to address identified issues. Completion of the Action Plan will involve a detailed analysis of past roadway crashes in the Whitefish area and require close coordination with community leaders, key stakeholders, and the public to develop a comprehensive plan that will help achieve community safety goals and priorities.

Specifically, the Action Plan aims to address the recommendations from the 2022 Whitefish Transportation Plan concerning multimodal system connectivity, user-specific safety needs, transit access, traffic calming, accessibility and visibility improvements, and safety improvements in high-volume corridors such as Highway 93 and Wisconsin Avenue. Particular attention will also be given to addressing safety concerns in school zones, and designated school routes prioritizing biking and walking will be considered.

ss4a Commenting Map

Welcome to the Whitefish Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Action Plan Commenting Map! 

Over the last several months, community members have provided feedback to help identify the most pressing transportation safety concerns in Whitefish. Click on the bicycle, pedestrian, transit, and vehicle icons in the commenting map below to view community feedback.

If you are having trouble viewing the map above, please try visiting our map in a new window. For questions or assistance using this application, please email klynch@rpa-hln.com or call 406-404-7636.

Project Updates

October 14, 2024

The City of Whitefish Hosted A Public Meeting On October 8, 2024

On Tuesday, October 8, the City of Whitefish and RPA hosted an open house for the Safe Streets for All Action Plan. Attendees had an opportunity to learn about proposed improvement strategies, projects, and programmatic changes to address safety focus areas.

For those who were unable to attend, we have provided a link to the materials below.

September 20, 2024

Public Open House

The City of Whitefish is hosting a public open house meeting for the Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Action Plan focusing on transportation safety for all roadway users in the Whitefish community. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn about proposed improvement strategies, projects, and programmatic changes to address safety focus areas. The open house will be hosted in person over a two-hour period, and the public is invited to drop by to view exhibits and share feedback with the planning team.

OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 | 5:30 – 7:30 PM
Whitefish City Hall (418 E. 2nd Street) | Council Chambers

Your feedback will help us finalize the strategies and projects to improve transportation safety in our community. We look forward to hearing from you!

Materials developed for the open house will be posted to this project website the day of the meeting.

September 5, 2024

Virtual Commenting Map Now Closed

The Whitefish SS4A Commenting Map is now closed for new comments. Thank you to everyone who provided feedback! The planning team will review all comments submitted and identify ways to address concerns through transportation safety strategies and projects.  

We will be hosting a public meeting on Tuesday October 8 to share preliminary ideas based on our data analysis and feedback from the community. More details on the public meeting will be provided! 

July 1, 2024

Virtual Commenting Map will be Live through August

There is still time to share feedback on your transportation safety concerns in Whitefish! The Whitefish Safe Streets for All (SS4A) Action Plan Commenting Map will remain active and available for comments through the end of August 2024.

June 6, 2024

The City of Whitefish Hosted First Public Meeting

On Wednesday, June 5, the City of Whitefish and RPA hosted an open house to provide information about the development of the Safe Streets for All Action Plan with the community and collect feedback on community transportation safety goals and priorities.

For those who were unable to attend, we have provided a link to the materials below.

May 29, 2024

Open House Meeting

The City of Whitefish is hosting an open house to provide information about the development of the Safe Streets for All Action Plan focusing on transportation safety for all roadway users in the Whitefish community. The open house will provide information about the planning process, share initial findings, and collect public feedback on community transportation safety goals and priorities. The open house will be hosted in person over a three-hour period, and the public is invited to drop by to view exhibits and share feedback with the planning team.

Materials developed for the open house will be posted to this project website following the meeting.

OPEN HOUSE
Wednesday, June 5, 2024 | 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Whitefish City Hall (418 E. 2nd Street) | Council Chambers

Frequently Asked Questions

The Safe Streets for All (SS4A) discretionary grant program was established by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) in 2021. The multi-billion-dollar program was established to fund regional, local, and Tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries through planning and implementation efforts.

In 2023, the City of Whitefish was awarded funding to develop a comprehensive safety action plan (referred to as an “Action Plan”) identifying the most significant roadway safety concerns in the community as well as a set of projects and strategies to address identified safety issues. Action Plans are the foundation of the SS4A grant program. Once a community has an approved Action Plan in place, it is eligible to apply for additional funding to implement the plan’s projects and strategies. Eligible activities include infrastructure projects and behavioral and/or operational strategies.

Deaths and serious injuries on our roadways are not acceptable. Creating safe streets for all road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists, and public transportation users, is essential for fostering a healthy and thriving community. This Action Plan represents a significant step towards identifying and rectifying the safety issues impacting Whitefish’s roadways. By prioritizing safety and investing in measures to prevent crashes and injuries, Whitefish can create a more livable and vibrant city for everyone.

The Action Plan seeks to advance equity-centered solutions to address the disproportionate impact of roadway fatalities and serious injuries on disadvantaged communities, including children, older adults, individuals with disabilities, and low-income and minority populations. The planning team will actively collaborate with community partners to identify and implement community-supported education and enforcement strategies. Our goal is to improve roadway safety and promote social equity by ensuring that all residents have equal access to safe transportation options and are protected from harm on our roadways.

The City of Whitefish is the contracting authority for this effort and hired Robert Peccia and Associates (RPA) to help develop the plan. A multidisciplinary group of stakeholders representing various city departments, community leaders, the Montana Department of Transportation (MDT), and local safety partners will serve as the SS4A Task Force to guide the effort. To ensure that the Action Plan fully reflects the community’s needs and values, stakeholders and community members will be encouraged to participate throughout the planning process.

The public is invited to participate in the planning process through public open house events and ongoing information review and input. This website has been developed to provide updates as the plan progresses and offer an opportunity to submit comments for the planning team to consider. Community members are encouraged to submit comments at any time using the comment form on this page, or the interactive commenting map above. Event dates, times, formats, and locations of engagement opportunities will be announced through the local media, our email list, and this website.

Anyone interested in the project is encouraged to join the email list by filling out the “Stay Informed” form on this page to recieve updates about plan developments. The City of Whitefish, RPA, and the rest of the SS4A Task Force will collect and consider all public comments received to better understand the public view of potential safety issues and concerns within the community.

Contacts

KARIN HILDING, PE

City of Whitefish Project Manager
(406) 863-2450
khilding@cityofwhitefish.org

SARAH NICOLAI, PE, PTP

Consultant Project Manager
406-447-5038
snicolai@rpa-hln.com

Schedule

February 2024

Project Kickoff

February 2024
Spring 2024

Baseline Data Review & Analysis

Spring 2024
Summer 2024

Community Engagement
Field Investigations

Summer 2024
Fall 2024

Project & Strategy Identification
Community Engagement

Fall 2024
Winter 2024/2025

Action Plan Development
Public, Stakeholder, & Comission Review & Approval

Winter 2024/2025

Documents

Project Events

When: Between 5:30 PM – 7:30 PM

Where: Whitefish City Hall (418 E. 2nd Street) | Council Chambers

When: Between 4:00 PM – 7:00 PM

Where: Whitefish City Hall (418 E. 2nd Street) | Council Chambers

When: Between 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM

Where: Central Ave between 1st Street and Railway Street

Stay Informed

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