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<br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />February 5, 2010 <br /> <br />CONTACT: <br />Associate Transportation Planner David Roth, 541-682-5727 <br /> School District 4j SRTS Coordinator Shane Rhodes, 541-556-3553 <br /> <br />From Public Information Section, 541-682-5523 or 541-954-2938 <br />FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE <br /> <br /> <br />City of Eugene and 4J Schools Awarded $495,000 Safe Routes to School Grant <br /> <br /> <br />A $495,000 grant announced this week will help create safer routes to schools in Eugene. <br />The Safe Routes to Schools (SRTS) program is funded by the Federal Highway <br />Administration and managed in Oregon by the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT). <br />Those agencies in turn work with cities and other local agencies to develop infrastructure projects <br />to address identified barriers to walking and biking to school for elementary and middle school <br />age students. <br />In the most recent round of SRTS grants awarded by ODOT, Eugene received $495,000. <br />Eugene’s award is one of only eight awarded statewide for the 2010- SRTS grant cycle. <br />The money will be used to enhance crosswalks, improve paths and sidewalks, construct <br />new bicycle parking facilities and install wayfinding signs and school zone speed reader boards in <br />the vicinity of seven local schools: Roosevelt Middle School, Monroe Middle School, Edison <br />, <br />Elementary School, Camas Ridge Elementary School, Cesar Chavez Elementary School <br />McCornack Elementary School, and Meadowlark/Buena Vista Elementary School. <br />According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, in 1969, 42 percent of <br />children 5 to 18 years old walked or bicycled to school. In 2001, the rate fell to 16 percent. <br /> “The grant we received will help reverse this trend by providing kids with safer and more <br />comfortable routes to walk or bike to school,” said Dave Roth, an associate transportation planner <br />at the City of Eugene. “We hope this award creates more interest in the program throughout the <br />City and that even more schools participate in the next round.” <br />In a collaborative effort, faculty and parents from the seven elementary and middle <br />schools, School District 4J’s SRTS coordinator, and Public Works staff from the City worked to <br />develop a number of safety improvements designed to create a safer and more conducive <br />environment for children walking and biking to school. Final design and engineering work will be <br />completed this spring, with construction to follow the summers of 2010 and 2011. <br /># # # <br /> <br /> <br />Public Works Administration ? City of Eugene ? 101 E. Broadway, Suite 400, Eugene, OR 97401 <br />Phone 541-682-8421 ? Fax 541-682-6826 ? www.eugene-or.gov/pw <br />