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Apr 2, 2008 9:52 am US/Pacific
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Grant To Benefit Oakland Student Pedestrians
OAKLAND (BCN) ―
Students in Oakland might find it easier to walk to campus in the years to come, thanks to an $803,700 grant from the California Department of Transportation to help improve pedestrian conditions, city officials announced.
The grant will fund a public transportation transfer hub, pedestrian "countdown" signal heads, a widened sidewalk and a left-turn arrow at the intersection of Broadway and 40th street to benefit Oakland Technical High School students.
It will also pay for re-striping two traffic lanes in each direction with pedestrian "refuge" medians and sidewalk "bulb-outs" at crossing locations on a segment of MacArthur Boulevard between 82nd and 90th streets. The improvements are meant to benefit Castlemont Community of Small Schools, E.C. Reems Academy of Technology and Art and Youth Uprising students.
"This grant allows us to continue our work of wrapping our arms around our children and improving their lives from every perspective," said Oakland Mayor Ron Dellums.
Caltrans distributes yearly grants to schools that apply for money for projects that improve pedestrian safety through a Safe Routes to School Program. This year, the department allotted money to 139 projects and Oakland received the 16th largest award.
"I extend our sincere gratitude to Caltrans for partnering with us to continue to enhance the safety and well-being of our students," Dellums said.
(© CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Bay City News contributed to this report.)