New Braunfels City Council approved a resolution submitting multiple projects to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All, or SS4A, and Railroad Crossing Elimination Grant, or RCE, Programs on May 11.
What you need to know
The projects that will be submitted to the SS4A grant program are:
- Installation of a roundabout to improve safety at the intersection of Landa Street, North Seguin Avenue and Zink Street
- Updating the city’s Street Safety Action Plan, Vision Zero and Elliot Knox Blvd Multimodal Corridor Study
Another project the city is seeking grant funding for is a pedestrian bridge.
In November, the Texas Department of Transportation awarded the city Transportation Alternatives funding for a pedestrian trail within the right of way dedicated for Waterway Lane—a trail segment that aims connect pedestrians and bicyclists to Common Street and Gruene Road, toward Landa Park, the Dry Comal Creek and then on to San Antonio. But the trail has to end at Old FM 306 due to railroad track constraints adjacent to Goodwin Lane, agenda documents state.
The project submitted to the RCE Program is for a pedestrian bridge crossing the railroad tracks at Old FM 306 and connecting the pedestrian improvements on Goodwin Lane. This project would increase pedestrian safety for individuals traveling to and from the northeast side of New Braunfels, according to agenda documents.
The RCE program provides funding for highway-rail or pathway rail grade crossing improvement projects that aim to improve the safety and mobility of people and goods, agenda documents state. The SS4A program provides grants to local, regional and tribal communities for transportation projects that strive to create safer roadways.
Next steps
An application for each program will be submitted. The SS4A application is due at the end of May and the railroad application is due in June; however, city staff does not anticipate to hear back on either application until early 2027, according to an email from city of New Braunfels officials.
