Funding Available For Safer School Routes

Schools wanting to ensure students have a safe route for walking and bicycling to school can apply for planning assistance grants through the Minnesota Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School (SRTS) program.

“Planning assistance grants are the first step for communities to assess their current conditions for walking and bicycling to school and decide what they need to effectively implement a Safe Routes to School program,” said Dave Cowan, SRTS coordinator.

“After a plan is developed, schools and communities use this blueprint to apply for funds to advance infrastructure such as sidewalks, crosswalks and signage, and non-infrastructure solutions such as educational programming, events and enforcement.”

Region Five Development Commission (R5DC) partners with MnDOT District 3 to provide planning and infrastructure development to schools and communities in Cass, Crow Wing, Morrison, Todd and Wadena counties (Region Five).