Aerial photo of UTC with downtown Chattanooga in the background. Photo by Angela Foster.
The City of Chattanooga and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Research Institute (UTCRI) have been awarded $1,063,393 in federal funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program to support a new Roadway Safety Design Technology Platform.
The funding will support data-driven work that complements the city’s existing Comprehensive Safety Action Plan by expanding how roadway safety conditions are evaluated across Chattanooga, with technical leadership provided by UTCRI’s Center for Urban Informatics and Progress (CUIP). By combining intersection-level data with continuous roadway imagery along high-risk corridors, the project will help the city look beyond individual intersections and better understand safety conditions and emerging risks.
Earlier SS4A funding supported the development of the city’s Comprehensive Safety Action plan and identification of high-risk corridors and intersections, and this award advances the next phase of the city’s roadway efforts.
“This work builds on the progress we’re making to improve roadway safety and allows us to work with UTC to look at risk along entire corridors, not just individual intersections,” said Melissa Taylor, director of transportation planning for the City of Chattanooga. “By adding corridor-level data to the information we already have, we can identify potential risks earlier and better determine the most appropriate physical improvements to reduce serious injury and fatalities on our roadways. Our goal is to promote public safety and provide a model other cities can use.”
The project will generate tools and insights that help connect research, planning, and on-the-ground decision making, helping the city prioritize safety investments and respond to emerging risks.
“At the UTC Research Institute, our role is to help communities turn research into practical tools designed to guide better, more informed decision-making by public agencies,” said Dr. Mina Sartipi, interim vice chancellor for research at UTC. “The Roadway Safety Design Technology Platform will strengthen Chattanooga’s ability to anticipate risk and plan proactively, while also demonstrating how research partnerships help cities build safer streets in ways that are scalable and transferable.”
The total estimated cost of the project is $1.34 million, and the remaining match will be provided by non-federal partners. This award also builds on prior collaboration between the city and UTCRI’s CUIP, including a $2 million Strengthening Mobility and Revolutionizing Transportation (SMART) grant, which supported the deployment of connected vehicle and intelligent transportation technologies along the MLK Corridor and Health Corridor.
Additional information on the city’s ongoing roadway safety initiatives is available through the City of Chattanooga’s Safer Street Hub.
