Chehalis receives $1.75M in grant funding to improve pedestrian, bicycle safety for schools

The City of Chehalis has received a Safe Routes to School grant award in the amount of $1,751,000 from the Washington state Department of Transportation (WSDOT) for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements serving five Chehalis School District schools.

The city submitted a competitive application to WSDOT’s Safe Routes to School program to improve pedestrian and bicycle access to local schools, namely James W. Lintott Elementary, Orin C. Smith Elementary, Chehalis Middle School, W.F. West High School and Turning Point Alternative High School.

The goal of the program is to encourage more students to walk and bike safely to school by constructing infrastructure improvements such as sidewalks, crosswalks, signage and other safety measures.

The grant award, which is structured as reimbursement-based and does not require a local match, will fund planning, design and construction activities associated with the proposed improvements.

Proposed projects include 20 mph speed zone designation and signs for residential and/or business districts; speed feedback signs; lane width reduction; high-visibility crosswalks, stop lines at controlled crosswalks; Americans With Disabilities Act-compatible curb ramps; bike lanes; bicycle wayfinding signs and markings; and sidewalks without buffers.

Construction is expected to cost $1.347 million, according to the contract included in the council’s agenda report, while preliminary engineering has an anticipated cost of $404,000.

Mayor Tony Ketchum noted that he and Councilor Robert Spahr have been waiting for these improvements for “many years,” and Public Works Director Lance Bunker concurred with the sentiment.

“My kids all went to school here, and going down there during school time, kids are everywhere. They’re all over the streets, and there’s nowhere for them to walk,” Bunker said. “It’s really unsafe. This will take care of a lot of that.”

Bunker said the council will see more agenda items related to these grant-funded projects in the future, including for contracting, engineering and design.