Gov. Ivey awards nearly $2 million worth of grants for transportation safety

The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs announced on Monday that it will administer a series of grants to 35 different Alabama counties to be used for improving traffic safety in coming months.

One series of grants, totaling $791,838, will go toward increasing patrols and other highway safety measures in 17 north Alabama counties during the Labor Day weekend and other major traveling holidays during the next year.

That money will cover overtime salaries and special expenses incurred during law enforcement’s “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaigns, and during other busy travel periods.

Counties to receive grant allocations, made available to the state by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, are Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Fayette, Franklin, Jackson, Lamar, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marion, Marshall, Morgan, Pickens, Walker and Winston.

Another $1,189,899 has been awarded to 18 eastern and central Alabama counties for similar purposes, funding law enforcement participation in “Click It or Ticket” and “Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over” campaigns, along with other localized enforcement initiatives based on “hot spots” where crashes often occur.

“These grants help put more officers on patrol during busy travel periods to keep people safe by removing dangerous drivers from Alabama roadways and enforcing traffic laws,” Ivey said in a news release. “I am pleased to support our law enforcement agencies as they protect and serve their communities.”

The second group of grants were also made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.