Natchitoches Mayor Ronnie Williams, Jr., announces that a grant agreement has been executed with the Federal Highway Administration for the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) Demonstration project that was awarded to the City in 2024.

This grant provides $870,000 in Federal funding for the design and construction of temporary countermeasures to improve safety for road users. Including the City’s required 20% match, a total of $1,087,500 will be available for the installation of temporary safety features along Keyser Avenue, as well as construction of temporary speed tables on the following City streets: Dixie Street, East Fifth Street, Fairgrounds Road, Hill Avenue, Parkway Drive, Sanford Street, and South Williams Avenue.

These locations and safety improvements were identified as part of the SS4A Action Plan which was completed early last year, for which the City previously received $270,000 in Federal grant funding.

The planned approach of installing temporary safety measures will provide for a post-construction evaluation period for monitoring of the operation of these temporary measures and their effectiveness at reducing crashes. This approach will allow future adjustments to be made at these locations if necessary, which would not be possible with more permanent types of construction.

Now that the grant agreement has been fully executed, the next step toward implementation of this project is procurement of a consultant engineering firm for preparation of plans and specifications for the project. Construction is anticipated to begin in mid-2026.

The City of Natchitoches also recently submitted an application for additional SS4A grant funding for implementation of the remaining High Priority safety improvements identified in the SS4A Action Plan, and is awaiting selection by the U.S. Department of Transportation for the 2025 grant awards.

For more information about this project, please contact the Office of the Mayor at (318) 352-2772.