Over $170k awarded to develop plan for safer streets in Shawnee

SHAWNEE, Okla — A major investment is heading to Shawnee, focused on making streets safer.

The City of Shawnee, in collaboration with Pottawatomie Go and the University of Oklahoma (OU), has been awarded a $172,264 planning grant for the 2024-25 period. 

This grant, provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation, will be used to develop a comprehensive Safe Streets Action Plan aimed at enhancing the safety and infrastructure of Shawnee’s streets.

"We've had a number of people talk about accidents, whether vehicular, pedestrian, bike, etc.; this addresses all three modes of transportation, not just one," said Rian Harkins, community development director, City of Shawnee.

News 4 has spoken with several Shawnee residents in the past who have been concerned about not enough sidewalks and lighting.

It's not clear yet what exact improvements will be made in Shawnee, but that's where the city is looking for your input.

"This is a community-wide planning effort, so the public will have multiple opportunities to get involved," said Harkins.

The Safe Streets Action Plan will be facilitated by the University of Oklahoma’s Hudson College of Public Health, supported by the Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture.

"They would do most of the work for us and do a lot of the polling facilitation; we would be involved in it still, but they would do a lot of the grunt work on the ground, a lot of the data crunching, the analysis," said Harkins.

Several community meetings will be held to ensure that the plan reflects the needs and priorities of the local community.

For more information about the grant and the Safe Streets Action Plan, click here.