Local Aid and Economic Development - Federal Aid Safe Routes to School

Safe Routes to School

The Safe Routes to School Program (SRTS) is a federally funded program that was initiated by the Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act - A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU). The legislative details of the program are contained in Section 1404 of the Act.

The federal-aid SRTS program provides federal-aid highway funds to State Departments of Transportation over five fiscal years (FY 2005-FY 2009). The program targets schools for grades K-8 only. The main objectives of the program are:

to enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;

to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age; and,

to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of projects and activities that will improve safety and reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

Funds are available for a variety of both infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects that benefit elementary and middle school children in grades K-8, both public and private schools. The infrastructure portion can fund design, construction and planning of the proposed improvements while the non-infrastructure portion would fund activities that encourage walking and bicycling to school.

Applicants to this program must submit separate applications for infrastructure and non-infrastructure projects.

Selection of SRTS projects involves the participation of civic, education and environmental groups, the transportation community and other government organizations such as the state's Metropolitan Planning Organizations.

Starting in 2008 all applicants will be required to submit their applications online using SAGE (System for Administering Grants Electronically). Training and instructions on how to apply are available.

The handbook link below is in Portable Document Format (PDF). To view the handbook, you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available for free at our State Adobe Access Page.