Indy Metropolitan Planning Organization is working to secure federal funding to make roads and streets safer

INDIANAPOLIS — It's an issue that is raising concerns across Central Indiana — reckless driving and the measures to keep Hoosiers safe on the roads.

The Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization (IMPO) is working to secure federal funds to make roads and streets safer. A step toward securing those funds is to improve infrastructure and initiatives to prevent death and serious injuries on roads and streets.

They are asking for Hoosiers to review the plans and provide feedback.

"Kind of the intention of that plan is to pull data together that we already have to show where fatalities are currently occurring in incapacitated injuries," Anna Gremling, Executive Director of IMPD said. "Put all that data together and create a high-energy network and then identify projects that will help with those fatalities and incapacitated injuries. And essentially, once we take those projects, the idea is for municipalities and communities to take those projects around central Indiana to take those projects and submit them at the federal level to try and bring more money back to Central Indiana."

Gremling said Central Indiana had seen an unprecedented number of fatalities so far this year and this plan couldn't have come at a better time to make the necessary changes.

"I hope this is just the first, and we are able to come back to you and tell you other exciting things that we are implementing because we do need to take this pretty seriously," Gremling said. "Infrastructure takes a long time to change and a lot of money, but that's not the only thing we can do."

Comments on the plan are due by 4 p.m. this Friday, August 12. The transportation policy committee will consider adopting the plan at its meeting next week, Wednesday, August 17.

For information on submitting your input to info@indympo.org or by mail to 200 East Washington Street, Suite 2322, Indianapolis, IN 46204.