By HEATHER NELLIS

For the C-S-E

ST. JOHNSVILLE — The village will receive nearly $200,000 from the state Department of Transportation’s Safe Route to Schools program to make infrastructure improvements near the elementary school and the junior/senior high school, the department announced Friday.

The village is one of 64 municipalities to receive a total of $26.5 million in federal Safe Routes to School funding that’s aimed to encourage elementary and middle school children to safely walk and bike to school.

Village Mayor Bernard “Bernie” Barnes said Friday the village board is excited about the grant, which was applied for under a joint venture with the St. Johnsville Central School District and local urban renewal agency.

The funds will be used for crosswalks, signage and sidewalk replacement along Monroe and Averill streets, Barnes said.

“The funding couldn’t have come at a better time. A lot of the sidewalks there are very uneven, so this will make it a lot safer for the kids to walk to school.”

Barnes expects the project will begin this spring, depending on any forthcoming bid and contract schedule.

The intent of Safe Routes to School is to enable and encourage children to walk or bicycle to school, and help children adopt a more healthy and active lifestyle by making bicycling and walking a safer and more appealing transportation alternative.

It’s also hoped to facilitate the planning, development and implementation of transportation projects that will improve safety while reducing traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.

Federal funding was made available to the state DOT, which administers the program and will reimburse 100 percent of eligible project costs.

“The projects supported by this round of federal funding will help children get to school safely,” McDonald said in a release. “The education component of the program can help families make healthy, sustainable transportation choices and teach kids how to safely use the infrastructure in their communities.”