The Murphy Administration today (July 10) announced $21.1 million for 23 grants under the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.
(Upper Township is slated to receive $925,000 for the Upper Township School District Pedestrian and Bike Safety Project.)
“The Murphy Administration is committed to improving safety by providing resources to improve sidewalks and bike paths near schools,” New Jersey Department of Transportation Commissioner Fran O’Connor said. “The Safe Routes to School program encourages children to stay active by walking and biking to school, and is a great example of how NJDOT, working with the state’s three regional planning authorities, helps utilize federal funding to support communities through local transportation projects.”
Infrastructure improvement projects to be funded through this program include sidewalk improvements; pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements; and on street bicycle facilities.
The SRTS is a federally-funded program to increase pedestrian safety among motorists and schoolchildren. The program is administered by the NJDOT in partnership with the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority (NJTPA), Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization (SJTPO).
The program was created to encourage children to walk and bike to school. The goal is to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age. Projects are designed to improve safety, as well as reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution near schools.
Of the 21 grants being awarded to local governments to make pedestrian safety improvements near K-12 schools, 16 grants totaling $14.0 million are within the NJTPA region, which includes Bergen, Essex, Hudson, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Monmouth, Morris, Ocean, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren counties. Four grants totaling $5 million are within the DVRPC region, which includes Burlington, Camden, Gloucester, and Mercer counties in New Jersey and five counties in Pennsylvania. The final three grants totaling $2.1 million are within the SJTPO region, which includes Atlantic, Cape May, Cumberland, and Salem counties.
Special consideration was given to applications that addressed equity by providing benefits to underserved communities, low-income residents, minorities, those with limited English proficiency, persons with disabilities, children, and older adults.
Each individual municipality is responsible for implementing their respective SRTS projects. For further details on a specific project, please contact the municipality.
For more information about Local Aid programs, go to www.njdotlocalaidrc.com; email DOT-LocalAID.ResourceCenter@dot.nj.gov; or call 609-649-9395.
