Officials say the city of East Ridge has received two grants to make students safer when they walk or bike to school at East Ridge and Spring Creek elementaries.
The city has won two Safe Routes to School grants totaling $229,442, according to a news release.
The SRTS Program seeks to encourage students and their families to walk or bike rather than use vehicles to transport them to school, especially if they live close to the school.
Spring Creek Elementary SchoolOne grant of $204,442 will be used to create or improve sidewalks at East Ridge Elementary.
The second grant of $25,000 will fund a project for educational activities to promote walking or biking to school. No local matching money is required for either grant.
East Ridge has received several other grants, including a recent award of approximately $1 million for a multimodal grant that will expand pathways on both sides of Ringgold Road from Tombras Avenue to Belvoir Drive. The Safe Routes to School Grant for East Ridge Elementary will focus on the area around the school (Belvoir Drive and John Ross Road), according to the release.
"This is just one of many community development grants and initiatives that the city has sought to bring in a new era of enhanced quality of life for East Ridge citizens and businesses," Mayor Brent Lambert said in the release.
"The City of East Ridge appreciates TDOT for their strong, ongoing support and our continued partnership, as we could not be more excited."
For more information about the Safe Routes to School Program, project guidelines, and applications, please visit http://www.tn.gov/tdot/article/safe-routes.