Join us to learn about available tools and strategies to integrate equity and safety considerations into State, regional and local-agency project prioritization processes. This session will feature presentations of noteworthy examples, workshops on available tools, and opportunities to ask questions. This invite will be updated with speaker information closer to the event date.

Why is this important? To create a safe and equitable transportation network, transportation funding programs should prioritize safety and focus on underserved communities. An equitable approach distributes investments so people with fewer resources and those who face exclusion and discrimination—on the basis of race, gender, age, disability, or income—will see priority improvements in their health and living conditions.

To eliminate disparities and achieve the vision of zero deaths and serious injuries, all Federal-aid investments and projects, not just those funded under HSIP, should prioritize safety.

Historical underinvestment in safe infrastructure for all road users in underserved communities has contributed to disparities in crash fatalities and serious injuries. Additional investment today is necessary to help eliminate these disparities and reach zero deaths and serious injuries. An equitable approach entails investing a greater share of transportation funding in underserved communities, as established in the government-wide Justice40 initiative under Executive Order 14008: Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad. Justice40 aims to deliver 40 percent of the overall benefits of relevant Federal investments in climate and sustainable transportation to disadvantaged communities. The initiative can help ensure that individuals in these communities will attain similar access to safe, multimodal transportation options as those living in historically higher-served neighborhoods. This will enable safer access to employment, healthcare, education, food, and recreation.