Stockton to make pedestrian routes to six schools safer by summer 2023

Ben Irwin, The Record
·2 min read
A student, right, runs across the crosswalk at the end of classes at El Dorado School in Stockton. Pedestrian safety improvements will be coming near six Stockton schools by summer 2023.
A student, right, runs across the crosswalk at the end of classes at El Dorado School in Stockton. Pedestrian safety improvements will be coming near six Stockton schools by summer 2023.

The city of Stockton will be working to make the trek to six schools safer by next summer.

At the July 12 Stockton City Council meeting, the council approved $1.5 million to fund 10 Safe Routes to School construction projects across the city. The city’s public works department has prioritized projects based on equity in disadvantaged neighborhoods and safety, looking at giving kids who take the bus or are dropped off at school opportunities to walk or bike safely.

The upcoming Safe Routes to School construction will be on pedestrian routes near John Marshall Elementary, Taylor Leadership Academy, Pittman Elementary, Roosevelt Elementary, McKinley Elementary and George W. Bush Elementary, according to the city’s website. Projects will include new raised medians, pedestrian refuge islands at crossings, vehicle lane reductions, curb and gutter improvements, curb ramps, high visibility crosswalks and signing and striping to improve safety and accessibility on routes to Stockton schools.

Pittman Elementary is among the six schools set to receive safety improvements to routes kids can use to walk or bike to school.
Pittman Elementary is among the six schools set to receive safety improvements to routes kids can use to walk or bike to school.

Council awarded a $1.5 million construction contract to the lowest bidder, George Reed, Inc. of Modesto, after pulling $600,000 from a different curb, gutter and sidewalk project to secure enough funding. City staff reports show the funding originates from successful grant applications to the Measure K Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Safe Routes to School and Smart Growth Incentive Program, Cycle 1, administered by the San Joaquin Council of Governments.

Measure K was first approved in 1990, which funded more than $735 million in transportation projects in San Joaquin County. In 2006, voters re-upped Measure K for an additional 30 years at an estimated $2.5 billion worth of transportation projects.

In February 2018 the SJCOG board awarded $19.6 million in funding to 21 regional projects, including the 10 given the green light at last week's Stockton City Council meeting.

Roosevelt Elementary is among the six schools set to receive safety improvements to routes kids can use to walk or bike to school.
Roosevelt Elementary is among the six schools set to receive safety improvements to routes kids can use to walk or bike to school.

Eight of the 10 construction sites fall within Councilmember Christina Fugazi’s District 5, the oldest area of Stockton.

“I know there’s places where there is no sidewalk whatsoever and kids are walking in the street,” Fugazi said. “We know drivers in this city are travelling at ridiculous speeds and distracted. School starts in a few weeks … whatever we can do to keep our kids safe, let’s do it.”

Construction start dates have yet to be determined, but project completions are estimated by June 2023.

Project locations:

  • Lever Boulevard

  • Eighth Street

  • Main Street and Broadway Avenue

  • Fred Russo Drive

  • Park Street and American Avenue

  • Park Street and Grant Street

  • Oak Street and Grant Street

  • Fremont Street and Grant Street

  • Lever Boulevard and Hawaii Avenue

  • Lever Boulevard and Dry Creek Way

Record reporter Ben Irwin covers Stockton and San Joaquin County government. He can be reached at birwin@recordnet.com or on Twitter @B1rwin. Support local news, subscribe to The Stockton Record at https://www.recordnet.com/subscribenow. 

This article originally appeared on The Record: Stockton to improve walks to six schools by summer 2023