Safe Routes to School

The City of Grand Junction is committed to the safety and wellbeing of school-aged children. Since the school district changed the busing policy a few years ago, students have had to walk long distances to school. The City has made a concerted effort to improve sidewalks and walking routes to get children to school safely. Since 2016, the City has invested over $700,000 in infrastructure that provides safe transportation corridors and amenities for students who walk or ride bicycles to school. More safety improvements are a part of the $50,000,000 the city is investing in transportation infrastructure over the next 5 years.

While the Federal Highway Administration working through the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) does have a program dedicated to funding Safe Routes to Schools, there are many administrative challenges associated with the state program. The City instead prioritizes a portion of the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) distribution it receives each year in creating its own Safe Routes to Schools program addressing issues perceived as barriers to making walking and bicycling to school a reality for more children in our community. Studies show that walking and bicycling reduce the risk of health problems in children such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

These improvements provide safer connections between neighborhoods and schools by adding sidewalks where there are none, constructing new crosswalks, shortening crossing distances by adding curb extensions (bulb-outs), and building ramps to connect intersections to sidewalks.

More information on student travel maps and signal times can be found on the School Information webpage.

2022 Scheduled Projects

Elm Avenue Sidewalk from 28 Road to 28 1/4 Road ($120,000)

The Elm Avenue project, along Elm Ave from 28 Road to 28 1/4 Road, will support the Safe Routes to School mission through the installation of a sidewalk along the south side of the corridor. The project is currently in the design phase, with construction anticipated for the Summer of 2022.

27 Road South of Unaweep Avenue, $254,278 (CDBG Funded $180,359) 

27 Road Safe Routes to School project will construct 1,200 feet of curb, gutter, and sidewalk, four accessible ramps, and one crosswalk to complete a neighborhood connection between Unaweep Avenue and B 3/4 Road. Irrigation work necessitates construction after the irrigation season ends. 

Projects Completed by the City since 2016

  • Westlake Park Pedestrian Improvements – $113,900
  • Nisley Elementary Orchard Avenue Sidewalk from 29 Road to Melody Lane – $80,000
  • El Poso Pedestrian Improvements – $52,000
  • Bookcliff Middle School 29 1/4 Road sidewalk and crossings – $42,000 matched with dollars from Mesa County
  • Grand Avenue at 9th & 10th Streets pedestrian safety improvements – $72,700
  • Pinyon Avenue Sidewalk from 13th Ave. to 15th Ave. – $60,000
  • ADA improvements at City Hall and Tope Elementary School – $24,000
  • B Road / Mesa View Elementary sidewalk from near Night Hawk Drive to school – $95,000
  • B 1/2 & 27 1/2 Road intersection crossing and accessible ramps – $40,000
  • Lorey Drive from Westlake Park to just west of 1st Street – $75,000