Lake Forest Receives Safe Route to Schools Grant

The City is very excited to announce a grant award of $140,000 from the Illinois Department of Transportation’s (IDOT) 2021 Safe Routes to School Program! IDOT’s Safe Routes to School uses a multidisciplinary approach to improve conditions for the walk or bike to school. The program has three main goals:

  1. Enable and encourage children, including those with disabilities, to walk and bicycle to school;

  2. 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

  3. 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 (within 2 miles) of primary and middle schools (grades K-8).

Aligned with these program goals, Public Works staff submitted an application for the construction of sidewalk connections and crosswalks in the Whispering Oaks Subdivision south of Cherokee School (see below image that highlights the various sidewalk improvements in red). The grand total cost of this project is currently estimated at $200,000. The proposed improvements still need to be designed by the City and all design needs to be approved by IDOT. The City currently anticipates construction to occur the summer of 2024.

The City extends our thanks to various School District 67 representatives including Superintendent Dr. Matthew Montgomery, Chief Communications Officer Melissa Oakley, and Cherokee School Principal Dr. Chad Prosen for their efforts in supporting the City’s grant application.

Whispering Oaks Sidewalk Improvements

 

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