Pascrell Announces Over $2 Million in Federal Grants for Safe Routes to School Program

Federal awards will help North Jersey municipalities make safety improvements for students, pedestrians

PATERSON, NJ – U.S. Congressman Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) announced today $2,078,000 in federal funds to increase route safety and accessibility near K-8 schools in several Bergen and Passaic County towns. The specific allocations for each municipality are as follows: Englewood - $423,000.00; City of Passaic - $425,000.00; Clifton - $568,000.00; Paterson - $662,000.00.

“We absolutely must keep students safe both in the classroom and on their way to school. Roads are congested with bigger, faster vehicles. Distracted drivers is a growing threat. This federal funding will give our parents some piece of mind by helping our students get to school safely and promptly. This is tremendous news for these communities,” said Congressman Pascrell. “Infrastructure investments like these can improve the quality of life in our cities and towns. There is no better use of our tax dollars than aiding the protection of our students and children.”

The federal Safe Routes to School program promotes walking and bicycling to school through infrastructure improvements, enforcement, tools, safety education, and incentives to encourage walking and bicycling to school. More information on the program can be found here.

A champion of robust transportation and infrastructure spending, Congressman Pascrell recently announced $1.6 billion for NJ Transit, $143 million to rebuild the Route 3 Bridge over the Hackensack River, and $1.1 billion to restore aging bridges in New Jersey with federal funds he helped pass in Congress.