The City of Bartlesville has been approved for an Oklahoma Department of Transportation grant that will help pay for the construction of a sidewalk on Shawnee Avenue.
City officials were recently notified that a grant application submitted by City Grants Administrator Nancy Warring for $360,000 in TAP (Transportation Alternatives Program) grant funding for the project was approved. The money will be used to install a five-foot sidewalk on the west side of Shawnee Avenue from Valley Road to Bartlesville High School.
“I’m so happy that ODOT felt this project worthy of supporting,” Warring said. “This effort was citizen driven and also has the support of the school district, particularly Kane Elementary and the High School, which are located in the area. The grant supports our efforts to make walking to school safer, and will make walking in the neighborhood safer for everyone.”
Warring said the sidewalk project on Shawnee Avenue was started in 2011, but more work is needed to complete the effort.
“The City requires sidewalks to be constructed whenever there is new development; however, many older parts of Bartlesville have no sidewalks, so we needed to fill in those gaps. This grant will allow us to fill those gaps and install 2,215 feet of new sidewalk on Shawnee Avenue. This will extend the sidewalk that was installed in 2011 with funding from a 2008 Safe Routes to School grant.”
The project is expected to cost $450,000, the majority of which — $360,000 — will be funded with TAP grant funds. The remaining funds will be provided by the City of Bartlesville.
Warring said she expects to receive more information about the administration of the grant, including when the City will receive the funds, in the coming weeks.