Twenty-two communities in the NJTPA region will receive a combined $13.8 million in grants under the state’s Safe Routes to Schools Program.
The New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT)
announced the funding May 31 as part of a larger $19.6 million award to 31 municipalities statewide.
“The Safe Routes to School program is a great example of how NJDOT, working with the state’s three regional planning authorities, helps our communities access federal funding for local transportation projects,” said NJDOT Commissioner Diane Gutierrez-Scaccetti, who serves on the NJTPA Board of Trustees. “These grants will provide resources to improve sidewalks and bike paths to encourage children to stay active by walking and biking to school.”
NJDOT administers the program in partnership with the NJTPA and the two other metropolitan planning organizations that represent the state, the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission and the South Jersey Transportation Planning Organization.
Safe Routes to School is a federally funded program that aims to increase pedestrian safety and encourage children to walk and bike to school. Projects are designed to improve safety while also reducing traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution near schools. This can include constructing sidewalks; pedestrian and bicycle crossing improvements; installing bike lanes; and new crosswalks.
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.
Click here to view the 2022 grant awards.