BOSTON (WWLP) – A total of eight communities, including three in western Massachusetts have been awarded $13 million to improve safety and/or increase the number of children walking and biking to school.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) announced the infrastructure funding is through the Massachusetts Safe Routes to School (SRTS) 2022-2023 Infrastructure Program. It provides both design and construction services for projects between $300,000 and $2 million in areas around public elementary, middle, and high schools.

The projects below are initiatives to improve safer routes for students located within two miles of a public school. They are subject to change based on assessments by MassDOT and its project design teams.

• Freetown: Proposed creation of a shared use path along this town’s Memorial Drive to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety.  The grant was jointly submitted by the Town of Freetown and the Freetown Elementary School.
• Holliston: Proposed installation of a new shared use path and crosswalk along Linden Street to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety and improve connections to a local shared-use path. The grant was jointly submitted by the Town of Holliston, the Placentino Elementary School, Miller Elementary School, and the Adams Middle School.
• Holyoke: Proposed traffic calming measures and pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements to help support students within walking and cycling distance of the school.  The grant was jointly submitted by the City of Holyoke and the H.B. Lawrence School.
• Newton: Proposed intersection safety improvements at Route 9 and Parker Road to improve visibility and increase safety for students walking and bicycling to both schools. The grant was jointly submitted by the City of Newton, the Oak Middle School and the Brown Middle School.
• Reading: Proposed road diet to create a shared use path and intersection safety improvements at Hillside Road and Birch Meadow Drive to improve pedestrian and bicyclist safety. The grant was jointly submitted by the Town of Reading and Coolidge Middle School.
• Southampton: Proposal to install sidewalks, crosswalks, a protected bicycle lane, and other safety improvements along Pomeroy Meadow Road to increase safety for students and their families. The grant was jointly submitted by the Town of Southampton and the William E. Norris School.
• Springfield: Proposed traffic calming measures in addition to pedestrian and bicyclist safety improvements throughout the Bowles Park Corridor to support students walking, rolling, and bicycling to school. The grant was jointly submitted by the City of Springfield and Samuel Bowles Elementary School.
• Westborough: Proposed the installation of a new shared use path and traffic calming measures along Fisher Street to support the many students who walk, bicycle, and roll to school. The grant was jointly submitted by the Town of Westborough and the Gibbons and Armstrong Schools.

“We are pleased to be able to provide funding for these important local infrastructure projects which will help create safe pathways for students to get to and from their schools,” said Transportation Secretary and CEO Gina Fiandaca. “Individuals of all ages are eager to walk and bike more in their communities and it’s our goal to continue to collaborate with local officials and stakeholders to create infrastructure, connections and pathways that are accessible, equitable, and have the latest ‘best practices’ in place to ensure travelers safely reach their destinations.”