Four Oregon public agencies will receive a combined $16 million in federal transportation funding to identify dangerous roads, develop safety plans and test emergency response measures intended to reduce deaths and serious injuries from traffic crashes.
The awards, announced October 30 by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley and Ron Wyden and Representatives Janelle Bynum and Andrea Salinas, provide $4 million each to the City of Salem, the Klamath County Sheriff’s Office, Polk County Fire District No. 1 and Redmond Fire & Rescue. The projects will serve communities in Marion, Polk, Klamath and Deschutes counties.
The investment will support transportation safety analysis and demonstration projects, including emergency vehicle warning systems, coordination among response agencies, traffic signal priority and methods for delivering blood to injured patients before they reach a hospital. The funding places emergency response and care after a collision alongside the work of identifying where serious crashes occur and how to prevent them…