(TRENTON) — Assemblymen Herb Conaway, Jr., M.D. and Troy Singleton (both D-Burlington) on Wednesday welcomed a $113,000 state grant to fund a safe route for children heading to and from school in their legislative district town of Edgewater Park.
“These types of grants are always welcome news, especially for smaller towns like Edgewater Park with limited means for raising revenue and a desire to avoid burdening taxpayers,” said Conaway. “This new path will help children get safely to and from school while boosting the overall quality of life in Edgewater Park.
Singleton praised the awarding of the grant, having recently met with DOT Commissioner Simpson and local mayors to discuss pedestrian safety. Edgewater Park is also located along a stretch of Route 130 that runs through the lawmakers’ district in Burlington County, which is repeatedly considered one of the most dangerous pedestrian corridors in all of New Jersey.
“This is especially welcome news given the recent meetings we’ve had regarding pedestrian safety throughout our district,” said Singleton. “Hopefully this new path will give parents added peace of mind knowing their children will have a safer route to travel to and from school everyday.”
The funding was awarded through the Department of Transportation (DOT) and is one of 25 federally funded Safe Routes to School grants totaling $5.7 million for sidewalk, intersection, crosswalk and other improvements to help children remain safe as they walk or bicycle to and from school. Edgewater Park’s grant will help fund a multi-use path on Stevenson Avenue and East Franklin Avenue, which would directly benefit children traveling to and from Magowan Elementary School.
The Safe Routes to School grants are awarded on a competitive basis and will be provided to the recipients as their projects advance. Complete lists of the recipients and grant amounts for the Safe Routes to School grants are available online by clicking on the link here.