Thanks to a grant program aimed at making students’ routes to school safer, youngsters attending Willow Springs School should have an easier walk to class by the time school starts in late August.
The $286,000 sidewalk construction project, which the Willow Springs Village Board approved July 9, is part of the Safe Routes to School program, a state grant partnership that helps communities improve pedestrian safety near schools.
Trustees voted unanimously to award a bid to Monee-based Davis Concrete Construction Co. to build a sidewalk along the east side of a quarter-mile stretch of Nolton Avenue, between Prospect Avenue and Archer Avenue. Cost of the work is not to exceed $286,347; this amount is for construction and does not include engineering work, Village Administrator Ryan Grace noted.
Willow Springs School, attended by students from kindergarten through eighth grade, is located at what will be the north end of that stretch of new sidewalk, on Archer at Nolton.
“This is a part of the Safe Routes to School program, so it is a grant partnership,” Village President Melissa Neddermeyer said during the July 9 Village Board meeting.
The cost of construction will be reimbursed up to 80% based on eligibility, Grace explained. “Engineering or any other costs are not covered by the grant and will be paid by Willow Springs,” he said.
In a community where sidewalks are not the norm, this project should be a welcome improvement.
“This is a long-time request from our residents and a priority for our mayor and board of trustees,” Grace said. “This area was designated due to the students walking to and from the elementary school.”
Construction was expected to begin “almost immediately” and the entire project should take no more than a few weeks, Grace said. “The goal is to be completed or mostly completed prior to school starting in late August,” he said.
Grace said there will be minimal disruption to traffic during construction. “Most of the work will take place in the [new sidewalk’s] right of way and off the roadway,” he said.
The village applied for the grant in 2022. “It has taken several years to receive all approvals from IDOT and to secure the grant funding requirements,” Grace said. “The school is supportive of this project and is excited about the completion.”
Up to 200 students regularly walk to and from school along Nolton Avenue, said Mike Riordan, interim superintendent of Willow Springs School District 108. “The addition of sidewalks will provide a safer, more accessible route for students and their families by separating pedestrian traffic from vehicles and improving the flow of foot traffic, particularly during busy arrival and dismissal times,” Riordan said. “Given the volume of traffic on Archer Avenue, these improvements will make it easier and safer for families to travel to and from school.”
Riordan said the district will work closely with the Willow Springs Police Department to review traffic flow and determine the safest routes for students, families and motorists during and after construction. “Once the new sidewalks and parking lot improvements are complete, we expect the overall arrival and dismissal experience to be safer and more efficient for everyone,” he said.
Grace said no additional Safe Routes projects are in the works, but “we may investigate additional projects in the future once this is complete.”
Riordan suggested two areas that could further enhance pedestrian safety: improved access to the local park and strengthening the school’s designated emergency evacuation route. “Sidewalk improvements connecting the school to the park would provide students and families with a safer route to a frequently used community space. Likewise, enhancing the sidewalks along our emergency evacuation route would improve our ability to safely move students if an evacuation from campus wherever necessary,” he said.
While the school has not experienced any significant pedestrian safety incidents, Riordan said, “we have noticed an increase in the number of students walking to and from campus, making it important to proactively plan for their safety.”
Safe Routes to School was established as a standalone federal aid program in August 2005. The Illinois program is administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation’s Bureau of Programming and funds both infrastructure (engineering) and non-infrastructure (education, encouragement, enforcement, evaluation, engagement and equity) initiatives.
According to IDOT, the program has three main goals: to enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk or ride bikes to school; to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle; and to facilitate projects that improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution near schools.
Safe Routes to School utilizes six basic program components, known as the “6 E’s” –engineering (safety-focused infrastructure improvements), education (transportation choices, safety skills); enforcement (traffic laws for drivers and pedestrians); encouragement (promotion of walking and cycling); evaluation (data collection); and engagement and equity (working with families, educators and community organizations).
Projects eligible for funding through the Illinois Safe Routes to School program include sidewalk improvements, speed bumps, traffic control devices, pedestrian crossing improvements, bike lanes and trails, crossing guard training, bike safety programs and community events to promote walking and cycling.