Community Traffic Safety Program

The Community Traffic Safety Program (CTSP) is a Pennsylvania statewide initiative administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Highway Safety Office (PA HSO). The program is designed to address major behavioral highway safety issues of national concern by funding and overseeing localized traffic safety projects in each of Pennsylvania’s 67 counties. Recognizing the challenges presented by the state's size and diversity, CTSP acts as a bridge between PA HSO and county-level efforts, supporting education and outreach programs tailored to specific local safety concerns. These efforts focus on a variety of areas including occupant protection, impaired driving, aggressive and distracted driving, pedestrian and cyclist safety, motorcycle safety, and special groups such as young and mature drivers as well as commercial vehicle drivers. CTSPs also participate in federally coordinated safety initiatives and must base their work on strong data-driven justifications. The CTSP grants operate on the federal fiscal year calendar, running from October 1 to September 30 annually. These are cost-reimbursement grants, which means that grantees must front the costs of eligible activities and request reimbursement after expenses are incurred. Applicants are expected to demonstrate capacity for managing federal funds and complying with requirements under 2 CFR Part 200 and 23 U.S.C. Chapter 4, among others. Projects must include clearly defined goals based on multi-year crash and demographic data, supported by evidence such as census information, traffic conviction records, and local observations. Each application must incorporate data from the Pennsylvania Crash Information Tool (PCIT) and be submitted via the eGrants portal. Eligible applicants for CTSP grants are limited to county governments. Funding is allocated through a formula based on crash statistics and licensed driver data at the county level. When a county proposes to serve areas outside its political boundaries, it must secure letters of support from the additional counties. Activities proposed in such multi-county applications must align with PennDOT’s engineering district boundaries and reflect distinct work plans per county. All CTSP activities must be coded using standardized names within eGrants, including various outreach types (e.g., community, judicial, school), education program development, earned media efforts, law enforcement engagement, and social media campaigns. To maintain consistency and compliance, grantees are expected to adhere to state and federal administrative policies. These include mandatory quarterly reporting, participation in PennDOT-hosted conferences and trainings, and annual public engagement activities targeting high-risk communities. The program encourages partnerships with local schools, law enforcement, judicial actors, and community organizations. It also places emphasis on promoting programs such as Graduated Driver Licensing, Operation Safe Stop, and Child Passenger Safety Week. For organizations acting as fiscal sponsors or proposing subgrants, thorough risk assessments and documentation of sub-agreements are required prior to cost incurrence. Funding availability for FFY 2027 is contingent on federal apportionments and state obligation authority. While the overall funding amount varies by county, all grants follow a proportional distribution model tied to local crash data and Class C driver license counts. Though matching funds are encouraged to demonstrate program sustainability, they are not mandatory unless agreed upon in the grant terms. Applications for the FFY 2027 cycle open on April 1, 2026, and close May 31, 2026. Evaluations take place through June 30, with negotiation and final approvals expected by September 30. Finalized awards can be backdated to October 1, 2026, or start from the actual approval date and will run through September 30, 2027. For more information, applicants are encouraged to contact Christy Timbrell of the PennDOT Bureau of Operations at [email protected] or by phone at 717-783-4577. Proposals that fail to meet minimum eligibility requirements or are submitted after the deadline may be rejected.

Use data-driven planning; Emphasize NHTSA countermeasures; Engage PennDOT press officers and local coalitions.