Skip to content
Triangle Local

Raleigh, Wake County

Raleigh: City says more than $10 million in federal road-safety grants is headed here

A Nov. 4 city notice and the News & Observer both describe sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection work and traffic-light upgrades, with a $2.5 million local match. The newspaper put the main award at $10.2 million.

ConfirmedThe main facts are confirmed by official or first-hand sources.

By Alexandru Stanciu · Published

Downtown Raleigh buildings under a blue sky

File photo: James Willamor (CC BY-SA 3.0), via Wikimedia Commons.

What we know

Confirmed

  • A City of Raleigh news page, with a print timestamp of Nov. 4, 2026, 2:30 p.m., said Raleigh's street-safety work is getting a boost with more than $10 million in federal grants and will require $2.5 million in matching local funds.Confirmed by City of Raleigh news page, Nov. 4, 2026
  • That city page said the money will be used to build new sidewalks and crosswalks, reconfigure intersections and upgrade traffic lights.Confirmed by City of Raleigh
  • The News & Observer, in a Nov. 2, 2026, story updated that afternoon, independently wrote that Raleigh won a $10.2 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant and will add $2.5 million to match it.Confirmed by News & Observer, Nov. 2, 2026
  • The city page said that in 2025 there were more than 17,000 vehicular crashes that resulted in 6,226 injuries and 38 fatalities. The News & Observer, citing the Division of Motor Vehicles, wrote that there were nearly 17,000 crashes in Raleigh last year, injuring 6,226 people and killing 38.Confirmed by City of Raleigh; News & Observer
  • The city page said traffic data identified two of the highest-risk intersections as Poole Road at Rock Quarry Road and Rock Quarry Road at Vardaman Street.Confirmed by City of Raleigh
  • The News & Observer wrote that the grant will help pay for safety measures near six schools, along Poole Road between Williams Road and Carya Drive, along Rock Quarry Road between Blazing Star Lane and Lyndhurst Drive, at Rocky Quarry Road and Vardaman Street, and for backplates on traffic signals at 90 intersections.Confirmed by News & Observer, Nov. 2, 2026
  • The city page said Safe Routes to School improvements include five projects at six local schools and will fund four years of a Safe Routes to School coordinator, preliminary engineering and design, and targeted public education campaigns on speeding, impairment, distraction and seat-belt use.Confirmed by City of Raleigh
  • The city page listed high-visibility crosswalks, flashing beacons, accessible curb ramps, reflectors for traffic lights, roadway-improvement designs, better lighting and reflectivity, and emergency-response support among the planned uses.Confirmed by City of Raleigh
  • The News & Observer wrote that the Raleigh award was one of 297 nationwide totaling about $1 billion that the Trump administration announced, and that Buncombe County, Rutherfordton and the Foothills Regional Commission each received planning grants in the same round.Confirmed by News & Observer, Nov. 2, 2026

Still unknown

  • The exact federal dollar figure on the city page. The city wrote "more than $10 million"; the News & Observer wrote $10.2 million
  • Whether the city's line about "$1 million to determine where its most serious crashes occur" is new money or a restatement of earlier planning funds. The News & Observer wrote that earlier $1 million planning money had already gone to that work
  • A posted construction start date for each named road segment
  • Which six schools are in the Safe Routes package. Neither page listed the school names in the text we read

What this means for you

Roads
Planned work includes sidewalks, crosswalks, intersection changes and traffic-light upgrades. The city named Poole Road at Rock Quarry Road and Rock Quarry Road at Vardaman Street among high-risk spots. Expect construction once projects are scheduled; follow posted signs.

Instructions from City of Raleigh news page, Nov. 4, 2026

This site is not the City of Raleigh or the U.S. Department of Transportation. For the grant notice and Vision Zero updates, use raleighnc.gov. This site is not an emergency service. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

What happened

In Raleigh, a city news page dated Tuesday afternoon said street-safety work is getting more than $10 million in federal grants, with $2.5 million in matching local money required.

The News & Observer, writing Nov. 2, independently put the main Safe Streets and Roads for All award at $10.2 million and printed the same local match.

That municipal notice said the money will go to new sidewalks and crosswalks, intersection changes and traffic-light upgrades. It listed high-visibility crosswalks, flashing beacons, accessible curb ramps, traffic-light reflectors and emergency-response support among the uses.

Both accounts pointed to heavy crash totals. The city wrote that in 2025 more than 17,000 crashes left 6,226 people hurt and 38 dead. The newspaper, citing the Division of Motor Vehicles, wrote nearly 17,000 crashes last year with the same injury and death counts.

City traffic data named Poole Road at Rock Quarry Road and Rock Quarry Road at Vardaman Street among the highest-risk intersections. The Observer added named stretches on Poole and Rock Quarry, work at Rocky Quarry Road and Vardaman Street, safety measures near six schools, and backplates on signals at 90 intersections.

Safe Routes to School work, on the city notice, covers five projects at six campuses plus four years of a coordinator, design work and public education on speeding, impairment, distraction and seat belts. Neither page listed those campus names in the text we read.

The Observer wrote that Raleigh's award was one of 297 nationwide in a roughly $1 billion round and that Buncombe County, Rutherfordton and the Foothills Regional Commission received planning grants in the same announcement.

This site is not the City of Raleigh. For the grant notice, use raleighnc.gov. If anyone is in danger, call 911.

Related coverage

What we don't know yet

The city notice says "more than $10 million"; the newspaper says $10.2 million. The city's line about $1 million for crash analysis may restate earlier planning funds; the newspaper treated that $1 million as earlier money. No construction start dates or school names appear in the pages we opened.

Photos

Text-only. No city or newspaper photographs are used here.

Why it matters

People who walk or drive Poole Road, Rock Quarry Road and school zones need the city and newspaper figures for the federal award, the $2.5 million match, and that the work is aimed at sidewalks, crossings, signals and high-injury spots. This is not a finished rebuild.

Updates

  1. Nov 4, 2026, 8:20 PM

    A Nov. 4 city page says more than $10 million in federal road-safety grants is coming to Raleigh with a $2.5 million local match. The News & Observer independently put the main award at $10.2 million and named Poole Road, Rock Quarry Road and six school sites among the planned work.

Sources

  1. Raleigh Receives $10 Million Grant Aimed at Road Safety (City of Raleigh news page, print timestamp Nov. 4, 2026, 2:30 p.m.: more than $10 million in federal grants; $2.5 million matching local funds; new sidewalks and crosswalks, reconfigure intersections, upgrade traffic lights; also mentions $1 million to determine where most serious crashes occur and develop mitigating strategies; 2025 more than 17,000 vehicular crashes, 6,226 injuries, 38 fatalities; high-visibility crosswalks, flashing beacons, accessible curb ramps; reflectors for traffic lights; emergency response support; Poole Road at Rock Quarry Road and Rock Quarry Road at Vardaman Street; Safe Routes to School Improvements, five projects at six local schools; four years of a Safe Routes to School coordinator, preliminary engineering and design, targeted public education on speeding, impairment, distraction and seat belt non-use. Lead department Transportation. Text-only; no city photos.)

    Official sourcePublished by City of Raleigh · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 8:18 PM

  2. Raleigh wins $10 million federal grant to try to make its roads and streets safer (News & Observer / Richard Stradling, published Nov. 2, 2026, 12:39 p.m., updated 3:05 p.m.: $10.2 million Safe Streets and Roads for All grant; city pitches in $2.5 million; sidewalks, crosswalks, reconfigure intersections, upgrade traffic lights; earlier $1 million planning money from the 2021 infrastructure law; nearly 17,000 crashes last year, 6,226 injured, 38 killed, Division of Motor Vehicles; safety measures near six schools; Poole Road between Williams Road and Carya Drive; Rock Quarry Road between Blazing Star Lane and Lyndhurst Drive; Rocky Quarry Road and Vardaman Street; backplates on traffic signals at 90 intersections; 297 awards nationwide totaling $1 billion; Buncombe County, Rutherfordton and Foothills Regional Commission planning grants; Deborah Ross statement quoted. This file does not use the Capital Boulevard photo. Text-only.)

    Published by News & Observer · Checked Nov 4, 2026, 8:18 PM

More from Wake County

Wake County news

Related stories