By 1808Delaware
Earlier this month, a consultant from Verdantas walked the Sunbury City Services Committee through a project that’s been a long time coming: the city’s new Roadway Safety Action Plan. The plan was built with support from the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program, and it now puts Sunbury in a position to chase the construction dollars that could turn ideas into actual pavement, signals, and roundabouts.
“This plan identifies the projects,” the consultant told the committee, “and now the city can use it to go after the funding to build them.”
A Vision Zero Mindset
The plan is framed around Vision Zero, the national approach aimed at eliminating roadway deaths and serious injuries. To understand where Sunbury stands, his team pulled ten years of crash data from 2014 through 2023. They mapped out problem spots and built what he called a “high-injury network,” looking at every mode of travel: older drivers, motorcyclists, walkers, bike riders.
“We look at it through all different lenses,” he said, noting the review dug into behavior patterns, crash types, and specific trouble locations.
What the Community Said
Public involvement wasn’t an afterthought. The team used surveys, school visits, an open house, and on-street conversations to gather feedback. A steering committee met monthly to weigh data, set priorities, and sift through possible solutions. The full roster of committee members was read into the record, emphasizing the local voices behind the recommendations.
A tiered scoring system helped the group compare everything from inexpensive fixes like rumble strips and new signage to bigger-ticket solutions such as roundabouts, signal upgrades, and access changes.
Matching Projects With the Money
A central part of the plan is an implementation matrix that pairs each recommended project with likely funding sources. The consultant pointed to programs Sunbury can now pursue, including future rounds of SS4A implementation grants and the long-running Highway Safety Improvement Program.
He also highlighted a pilot project using camera-based data collection to track turning movements and catch near-miss events. Those findings will be attached to the final report.
What Happens Next
It was stressed that the plan doesn’t build anything on its own. Instead, it gives Sunbury what it needs to make competitive applications for federal and state construction funds. Many projects, he added, will require cooperation with partner agencies before they can move forward.
City staff said the full report, along with the SS4A-required appendices, will appear in an upcoming council packet.
