Delran Township in New Jersey’s Burlington County was awarded a $176,000 grant earlier this month to fund sidewalk construction along Route 130. Delran was one of 22 Burlington County municipalities chosen to share $4.3 million in grants from the New Jersey Department of Transportation’s Local Aid program. This particular Local Aid grant was awarded as part of the state’s $1 million Safe Streets to Transit program.

According to Tri-State’s annual Most Dangerous Roads for Walking analysis, Route 130 has been the most deadly road for pedestrians in the state for five consecutive years. In fact, it has been ranked either the most or second-most deadly road in the state in each Most Dangerous Roads analysis since 2009. Between 2005 and 2013, 28 pedestrians have been killed walking along or across Route 130.

Route 130 — which claimed two more lives this past March — should be a top priority for NJDOT. Tri-State has pushed for improvements to the notorious arterial including the addition of continuous sidewalks, mid-block crossings and pedestrian countdown signals at crosswalks.

Building sidewalks on Route 130 in Delran is a great first step towards improving pedestrian safety, but these improvements alone are not enough. Going forward, there must be a full-scale overhaul to transform the roadway from a dangerous high-speed arterial into an attractive, multi-modal boulevard that safely accommodates pedestrians, bicyclists and transit riders as well as drivers.

A full transformation of the roadway is only possible through the continued availability of state funding programs like Local Aid and Safe Streets to Transit, which are funded by the Transportation Trust Fund. But with the Transportation Trust Fund expected to run dry by the end of FY2016, Governor Christie and legislature must work together to find a sustainable, long-term funding solution so that these critical safety programs remain available to municipalities. Only then can advocates and government agencies advance the goal of safer corridors that promote economic development and save lives.