RIDOT has numerous projects as part of the Safe Routes to School program, which make it easier and safer for children and their families to walk or ride to school.
The fully federally funded program has been active for more than a decade. In a three-year span of newer projects we will have invested $12.2 million into the program.
Most recently RIDOT completed Safe Routes to School projects for schools in Cranston, East Providence, Narragansett and Barrington. Another project is active for schools in Smithfield and Woonsocket and another is scheduled to begin in 2021 in Warren.
With each project, RIDOT typically extends sidewalks or other pathways to provide greater connectivity between residential areas and schools. In the most project in Barrington, RIDOT added sidewalks to provide a direct connection from the East Bay Bike Path to Barrington Middle School. Another project next year will replace the "Broken Bridge" over the Kickemuit River in Warren, linking many neighborhoods west of the river to an existing bike path and Kickemuit Middle School and Hugh Cole Elementary School on the east side of the river.
Other improvements included in a Safe Routes to School project include new curb ramps to meet ADA standards, detectable warning systems and flashing school zone speed limit signs, bike racks, and new stormwater systems.