Milpitas wants to make walking and biking to school safer for students and is getting millions in federal dollars to help make it happen.
The city has been awarded $2.9 million through the US Department of Transportation’s Safe Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) grant program, which funds regional, local and tribal initiatives to prevent roadway deaths and injuries. A federal infrastructure law established the program in 2022 and promised $5 billion in appropriations through 2026.
Milpitas submitted its grant application in May, focusing on increasing safety for pedestrians and bicycles around their public schools. The project will upgrade visibility, signage and pedestrian crossings at local intersections and address other existing or potential safety issues along the school’s road network. The Milpitas Unified School District serves more than 10,000 students in their 15 schools.
“We are committed to securing the necessary resources to make our city’s streets safer for everyone,” Public Works Director Christian Di Renzo said in a statement. “This is just the beginning and we look forward to more
opportunities to improve our Safe Routes to School program.”
City Manager Ned Thomas called the grant a “win” for the community and an opportunity that will ultimately create “safer neighborhoods for students and residents alike.”
In addition to the SS4A grant, the Department of Public Works also submitted funding applications for the state and regional Active Transportation Program grants, both of which focus on improving school routes in disadvantaged communities. The city hopes to receive about $8 million if both grants are approved in December.
It’s not the first time Milpitas has asked the federal government for help. In March, the Milpitas Unified School District was awarded a $500,000 grant from Rep. Ro Khanna’s office to support school safety at their Innovation Campus, a newly constructed site that houses educational programs including the district’s adult education, early childhood education and Milpitas and Calaveras Hills High School extension programs. This grant money will go toward installing a traffic light and new sidewalk along Calaveras Boulevard, which will cost $3.35 million.
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