NJDOT and regional transportation organizations announce $2.1 million in Safe Routes to School GrantsFunding will help municipalities make pedestrian safety improvements
(Trenton) - New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in partnership with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO) today announced the awarding of nearly $2.1 million in 2016 Safe Routes to School (SRTS) grants in Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, and Salem counties.
“Safety is a key component of New Jersey’s transportation network, including pedestrian and bicycling accommodations,” NJDOT Commissioner Richard T. Hammer said. “These grants will help our local communities improve sidewalks and crosswalks so children may safely walk or bike to school,”
The SRTS program is a federally funded reimbursement program that was established in 2005 to increase pedestrian safety awareness among motorists and schoolchildren. It is being administered by the NJDOT in partnership with the DVRPC, SJTPO , and North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA). NJTPA grants will be announced in the coming months.
DVRPC Grants
The four grants in the DVRPC region announced today total $1.495 million dollars for the following projects:
• Busansky/Emmons Schools Multimodal Improvements - Phase I in Pemberton Township, Burlington County for $466,000
• Pedestrian Safety Improvements, Frederick Avenue and South Clinton Avenue - Phase I in Maple Shade Township, Burlington County for $257,000
• Eastampton Community School-Pedestrian Multi-Use Path and Walking Route Improvements in Eastampton Township, Burlington County for $429,000
• Gloucester City Middle School Infrastructure and Pedestrian Safety Improvement Program in Gloucester City, Camden County for $343,000
SJTPO Grants
The two grants in the SJTPO region announced today total $608,000 dollars for the following projects:
• Pedestrian Safety Bikeway in Margate, Atlantic County for $371,000
• Sidewalk, crosswalk, and signalization improvements at various locations in Woodstown, Salem County for $237,000
The Safe Routes to School program was created to encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bike to school. These grants will provide local governments within the DVRPC region the ability to make pedestrian safety improvements near K-8 schools.
The goal is to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and to implement projects that will improve safety, and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.
Infrastructure improvement projects to be funded through the program include the construction of sidewalks, bikeway lanes, and multi-use paths; and the installation of new crosswalks, school-zone markings, and speed-limit signs.
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