1. INTRODUCTION

The City of Mount Vernon, New York, is a suburban city located in southern Westchester County that shares a border with New York City. Mount Vernon is the eighth-largest city in New York State, with a distinct identity and history, and shares a continuous street grid with the neighboring Bronx. As such, it is one of the most transit-accessible municipalities in the region, with direct access to New York City subway and bus lines, as well as three Metro-North Railroad stations.

This strategic location, at the intersection of New York City and the broader Hudson Valley, provides residents with exceptional regional connectivity while also generating significant traffic volumes and multimodal conflicts across a compact land area of approximately 4.4 square miles. Mount Vernon's dense urban form, combined with suburban residential neighborhoods and heavily traveled commercial corridors, creates complex transportation safety challenges that require a coordinated and data-driven response.

In November 2025, the City adopted its first Comprehensive Plan since 1968. The Plan establishes a forward-looking vision centered on transit-oriented development, environmental resilience, and easy access to infrastructure and services. A core component of implementing this vision is improving roadway safety for all users, particularly pedestrians, cyclists, seniors, and transit-dependent populations.

Through this Request for Proposals (RFP), the City of Mount Vernon seeks to retain a qualified consultant team to prepare a Road Safety Action Plan (RSAP) in alignment with the U.S. Department of Transportation's Safe Streets for All (SS4A) program. The selected consultant will be responsible for delivering a comprehensive, implementable plan that identifies safety risks, establishes clear strategies, and positions the City to secure future federal and state funding for safety improvements.

2. PROJECT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Transportation safety is a critical and growing concern within the City of Mount Vernon. The City's dense roadway network, aging infrastructure, and high levels of pedestrian activity contribute to safety risks that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations. Similar to national trends, the City has experienced ongoing challenges related to traffic crashes, including serious injuries and fatalities.

The primary objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive Road Safety Action Plan that will analyze current transportation safety conditions throughout Mount Vernon and establish strategies to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries through a Vision Zero framework.

The RSAP will serve as a policy, planning, and implementation tool that:

• Identifies high-crash corridors and systemic safety risks
• Evaluates existing roadway conditions and safety measures
• Recommends targeted infrastructure, policy, and behavioral interventions
• Establishes performance measures and accountability mechanisms
• Aligns with the City's 2025 Comprehensive Plan and capital planning priorities

The ultimate outcome of this project is a detailed, actionable plan that equips the City with the tools necessary to implement safety improvements and compete for future SS4A implementation funding.

RFP responses to be submitted via Opengov and mail by July 17, 2026.

https://procurement.opengov.com/portal/mountvernonny/projects/270716

All files should be PDF and labeled "MVSS4A RFP" when submitted electronically. Proposals must be submitted electronically through OpenGov by July 17, 2026 at 4:00PM, AND two (2) hard copies must be sent via overnight mail and postmarked by July 17, 2026 to the Office of the City Clerk, City of Mount Vernon, One Roosevelt Square, Mount Vernon, New York 10550. Proposals will be publicly opened on July 21, 2026, at 12:00noon in the Veterans Memorial Room.