Bement awarded “Safe Routes to School” grant
The Village of Bement will receive $170,000 from a state grant to provide safer active transportation for students.
Governor JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Transportation announced $12.3 million in grants for local projects that will help boost the health and safety of children via safer walking and biking routes to school. The Safe Routes to School program is funding 57 projects selected from 102 applications received from municipalities and schools across the state.
The project is Phase II of the village’s Safe Routes to School plan. It will start by connecting with the Phase I improvements from a previous SRTS Grant at Piatt Street and extend west along the southside of Moultrie Street/IL. Route 105 to Washington Street on the west side of the village. The project will also include upgrading the school crossing signage at Macon Street/Rt. 105 and Wing Street.
In December of 2014, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn announced the village had been awarded a federal grant in the amount of $160,000, the maximum amount available through the SRTS program. That grant paid for over 20 blocks of sidewalk upgrades to give the students more direct routes to the Bement school campus.
“Strong infrastructure is as much about bike paths and sidewalks as it is about highways and freight trains, and I’m proud to support more than 50 projects that will keep our students safer as they go to and from school,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Paired with our Rebuild Illinois capital plan, these federal dollars are another way we’re bringing quality of life improvements to communities all across the state.”
Administered by IDOT using federal funds, Safe Routes to School supports projects and activities that improve safety and encourage active transportation options in areas around elementary and middle schools. Improvements include new sidewalks, efforts to reduce speeding and other traffic offenses, public education, and outreach programs.
The maximum award is $250,000. The next application period for Safe Routes to School is anticipated in 2023.
