AUSTIN, Texas — The City of Austin is releasing a list of projects that could help make school routes safer, but there’s not enough bond money to cover all of them.
- Auditors identified 1,600 infrastructure issues
- Asking for public input on needed improvements
- Public can fill out the survey here
This week, leaders of the Department of Public Works released potential projects for five of Austin’s districts.
In those alone, auditors identified 1,600 infrastructure issues preventing parents and students from feeling safe such as missing sidewalks, intersections that are difficult to cross, and a lack of bike lanes.
In total, all those projects would cost about $340 million. All 10 districts in the city have to share almost $28 million from the 2016 Mobility Bond.
“What we’re trying to make sure is that we’re stretching the dollars as far as possible. So what we’re looking for is leveraging opportunities,” Amir Emamian with the Safe Routes to School Program said. “When we’re looking for infrastructure to address barriers, we’re looking at infrastructure that could may be addressing two or three concerns at once.”
In District 1 alone, there are 417 proposals. One project listed with a "very high" rating for overall benefit is related to sidewalks on Springdale Road near East 12th Street by Sims Elementary.
Luetta Campbell’s kids go to Sims, and she said there is a lot of traffic in the area, and it gets busier in the school year. She said she prefers to drive her kids, because the west side of Springdale Road doesn't have sidewalks.
“They’re small. Kids like to play on the side of the curb and jump off and on, and, you know, it’d just be my luck,” Campbell said.
To learn more about all the Safe Routes to School Improvement Projects click here.