Caltrans Donates Money For Safe Routes

Coachella Valley area schools will receive nearly $1.5 million in grants from Caltrans to improve walkways in areas around schools, Caltrans announced Wednesday.

The county of Riverside and five cities in it received grants totaling $4.2 million to improve pedestrian areas used by students. The “Safe Routes to School” grants were awarded by Caltrans as part of a $66 million in awards to cities and counties statewide.

The Coachella Unified School district will receive $496,000 to install crosswalks, create
pedestrian islands and widen curbs in the vicinity of six elementary schools. Desert Hot Springs received $970,000 to construct new sidewalks and advanced stop markings, as well as pay for more law enforcement at the start and end of school days around seven elementary and middle schools.

The six-year-old Safe Routes program, which is federally funded, promotes walking and bicycling by youths in grades K-8.

“By improving safety, more children are encouraged to walk and bicycle to school, ultimately resulting in healthier children and less traffic congestion,” said Acting Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty.

Other grant recipients were:

• Corona, which received $159,000 to install curb ramps and new traffic signals around John Stallings Elementary School.
• Lake Elsinore, which received $355,000 to purchase speed feedback signs outside seven elementary and middle schools.
• Riverside County, which got $1.7 million for roadway widening, new sidewalks, pavement markings and pedestrian crossing signs around 19 schools.
• Wildomar, which received $503,900 to construct sidewalks, install
  crosswalks and upgrade signs around William Collier Elementary School.