Press Release: 2021-10-18
MassDOT Launches Safe Routes to School Infrastructure 2021-2022 Funding Program
MassDOT Launches Safe Routes to School Infrastructure 2021-2022 Funding Program:
For immediate release: October 15, 2021
Program provides funding for design and construction services in areas surrounding elementary and middle schools
Application period begins today, Friday, October 15, and closes on Wednesday, December 1
BOSTON – The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), through its Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Program, is pleased to announce the launch of the 2021-2022 Infrastructure Funding Program. The Program provides both design and construction services for projects between $300,000 and $1.5 million in areas immediately around public elementary and middle schools throughout the Commonwealth.
The most recent iteration of the SRTS Infrastructure Program, which has involved a competitive project solicitation process, began in 2019 and has awarded approximately $20 million in funding for 21 infrastructure projects across the Commonwealth to date. Eligible projects include transportation construction and capital improvement projects that will improve safety and/or increase the number of children walking and biking to school and are located within two miles of a school serving children in any grades between kindergarten to eighth grade.
The application period opens today, Friday, October 15, 2021, and all applications are due by 5:00 p.m. Wednesday, December 1, 2021. The SRTS Infrastructure Funding Program Guidance Document is available on the SRTS website under the “Engineering” section. All SRTS Partner Schools are encouraged to apply and must have a municipal contact as the primary applicant.
“This program serves as a great resource for school communities to ensure that key infrastructure is in place to support safe walking and biking to and from school,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler. “We are pleased to continue to work with our Safe Routes to School partners to identify opportunities that encourage access to safe and healthy transportation.”
To be eligible for this SRTS Infrastructure Program, schools must build a partnership with the SRTS non-infrastructure program that involves education, encouragement, engagement, equity, and evaluation activities. Applicants must be an SRTS partner for at least six months prior to applying.
The funding program allows schools to conveniently use MassDOT’s Massachusetts Project Intake Tool (MaPIT) to submit information online. MaPIT was developed to provide municipalities with more convenient access to transportation funding program opportunities available statewide. The Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Funding Program application is available in the MaPIT portal (https://gis.massdot.state.ma.us/mapit/).
The Massachusetts SRTS Program, sponsored by MassDOT and with funds from the Federal Highway Administration, promotes safer routes for students to actively get to and from school by fostering partnerships between community-led organizations, local law enforcement, education leaders, and public health departments. The program currently serves more than 950 schools in over 240 communities across the Commonwealth. Through these partnerships, the Massachusetts SRTS Program highlights the importance of pedestrian and bicyclist safety. SRTS also provides information, materials, and resources to support schools and communities with their local SRTS initiatives.
For questions related to the SRTS Infrastructure Funding Program visit Safe Routes To School – Engineering | Mass.gov.
For more information on Massachusetts Safe Routes to School visit:
www.mass.gov/safe-routes-to-school
www.facebook.com/SafeRoutes.MA
www.linkedin.com/company/ma-safe-routes-to-school
For more MassDOT news and updates visit:
www.mass.gov/blog/transportation