Two priority Pierce County road safety projects have been awarded a total of $1.5 million in grants from the Federal Highway Administration.

The projects involve reconstruction of a prominent curve and steep hill on 9th Street East near the north end of Lake Tapps, and the addition of traffic signals at the busy intersection of 112th and A Street South.

The 9th Street East project, located between 190th and 198th Avenue East, is one of Pierce County’s highest priority safety projects. The project will lower the grade of a steep hill near a tight curve in the road, and realign the curve. Guardrails and 6-foot road shoulders will also be added.

The grant will contribute $500,000 toward the $1.8 million total project cost, with county road funds providing the balance. Private contractors will be hired to remove the hill and excavate an estimated 17,000 cubic yards of soil — about 1,500 truckloads. Lowering the hill and realigning the curve also will improve road safety during wet and icy conditions.

At 112th Street South and A Street South, a major four-lane road is crossed by a two-lane neighborhood street. Currently, there are no left turn lanes and the intersection has a stop sign on A Street only. The project will add traffic lights, pedestrian crossing signals, and curb and gutter in all four quadrants of the intersection. These improvements will help drivers making left turns and as well as pedestrians crossing the busy streets. The grant will pay for the entire $1 million project, to be performed by private contractors.

Both projects are expected to be completed in 2013.

The grants are from an ongoing federal program and are not connected to any new economic stimulus funding. The Pierce County projects were among 43 selected for funding by the FHWA Safety Grants program from a pool of 70 applications. Projects are selected on the basis of accident history, forecasted conditions over the next 20 years, and the benefits of constructing the improvements.