Project Overview

Cherokee County is developing a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to improve roadway safety for people traveling throughout the County. Between 2020 and 2024, Cherokee County experienced 9,390 crashes, including 79 fatal crashes and 167 serious injury crashes. Together, these resulted in 246 fatal and serious injury (FSI) crashes, highlighting the need for continued investment in roadway safety throughout the County. The Safety Action Plan will examine crash patterns, roadway characteristics, community needs, and transportation conditions to identify opportunities to reduce crashes and create a safer transportation network for all roadway users.

To address these issues, Cherokee County has been awarded a Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant to develop a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan. The plan will establish a data-driven framework for identifying, prioritizing, and implementing transportation safety improvements with the goal of eliminating traffic deaths and serious injuries. Cherokee County will work with residents, community stakeholders, local governments, and transportation agencies to develop strategies that address the safety needs of people who walk, bike, drive, and use other modes of transportation.

Cherokee County Safety Action Plan Story Map – Stay Tuned

What Is a Safety Action Plan?

The Safety Action Plan (SAP) is Cherokee County’s comprehensive vision for creating a safer, with crash reducing countermeasures. The goal of the plan is to identify and prioritize safety improvements that prevent crashes, reduce serious injuries, and save lives along the County’s roadways.

The SAP is supported by the Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) initiative, a U.S. Department of Transportation grant program established through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL). Once completed, the Safety Action Plan will provide Cherokee County with an important framework for pursuing future SS4A implementation funding and other transportation investments.

Using the Federal Highway Administration’s Safe System Approach, the plan will identify the most significant roadway safety concerns in Cherokee County and develop strategies to reduce and eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes. Whether you walk, bike, drive, and or use a mobility aid, your experience and feedback will help shape the plan and is vital to creating actionable measures.

What Will the Safety Action Plan Do?

Cherokee County is creating a Comprehensive Safety Action Plan to make every day travel safer and more comfortable for everyone. Funded through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) program, the plan will:

• Analyze crash data and community input to identify safety concerns, crash patterns, and high-risk locations.
• Evaluate roadway safety conditions and identify opportunities to improve safety for people walking, biking, driving, and using other modes of transportation.
• Develop data-driven strategies that address safety needs throughout Cherokee County.
• Recommend proven safety improvements, such as safer intersections and crossings, improved sidewalks, traffic calming, lighting, intersection improvements, and access to schools, neighborhoods, and businesses.
• Apply the Safe System Approach to reduce the likelihood that human mistakes result in death or serious injury.
• Prioritize projects and strategies that address the County’s highest safety needs and provide the greatest potential to save lives.
• Position Cherokee County to compete for federal funding and implement priority safety improvements identified through the plan.

Working Together for Safe Streets

Creating safer roads requires collaboration across the community. Cherokee County will work with residents, municipalities, county agencies, community organizations, and other stakeholders throughout the development of the Safety Action Plan.

Community members can share transportation safety concerns, identify problem locations, and highlight opportunities for improvement through the online mapping survey. This feedback, combined with crash data and technical analysis, will help Cherokee County develop a practical, data-driven roadmap for reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries and creating safer streets for everyone.