The Bexar County Commissioners Court approved an agreement between the county and WSP USA Inc. to develop a study as part of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Street and Roads for All Grant program during its Oct. 8 meeting.

The overview

The agreement will fund a study by WSP USA Inc. that will identify potential hotspots for fatal or serious injury crashes throughout Bexar County in an amount not to exceed $400,000, with $300,000 of the funds for the project provided by the SS4A grant from the USDoT. David Wegmann, Assistant County Engineer for Bexar County Public Works Department, presented the agreement.

It is estimated to take between 12-18 months to complete an action plan. The study will develop a timeline for eliminating or reducing fatal or serious injury crashes involving pedestrians and bicyclists; identify hotspots for severe injury and fatal crashes; source community feedback through town hall events, online surveys and pop-ups; and assess impacts on underserved populations.

The safety action includes:
  • Identifying areas of interest and potential countermeasures, such as engineering, educational and enforcement strategies to reduce crashes
  • Help to establish short, medium and long term targets to reduce fatal and serious injury crashes
  • Developing a comprehensive document summarizing analysis of fatal crash hotspots throughout the county, findings from community engagement, potential implementation steps and a method to measure progress


Prior to approval, Bexar County Precinct 3 Commissioner Grant Moody asked if the safety issues outlined in the SS4A grant were confined to pedestrian and bicyclist safety measures.

Wegmann said the study and funds can be directed to any safety issue that the county may identify.

Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai questioned WSP officials how the study will help the county conduct future development.

A WSP official said the study is a data-driven process that prioritizes the needs of current and future projects in Bexar County.


Bexar County Precinct 4 Commissioner Tommy Calvert pointed to a need for the study to identify areas where current construction has created dangerous conditions like flooding due to a lack of drainage.

The backstory

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law established the SS4A discretionary program with $5 billion in appropriated funds over a 5 year period from 2022-2026, which allows USDoT to offer funds to regional, local and tribal initiatives through grants to prevent roadway deaths and serious injuries.

SS4A facts include:
  • Awards will improve roadway safety planning for over 70% of the nation’s population.
  • Approximately half of the funding benefits underserved communities.
  • 95% of awards are going to provide significant safety benefits for pedestrians.
  • 94% of awards are going to provide significant safety benefits for bicyclists.
  • Over half of awards are going to provide significant safety benefits for people taking transit.