Columbia Falls School District students will be safer walking to school this year.

Columbia Falls and the school district are working together to provide safe routes for students to get to school through a $50,000 project using city general funds to complete a sidewalk and install crosswalk signals.

Initially, the city had applied for a Safe Routes to School Program competitive grant through the Montana Department of Transportation, according to City Manager Susan Nicosia.

Although the city was not awarded a grant this year, it moved forward to complete priority areas identified following a traffic study last year. She hopes this will show community initiative when the city reapplies for a Safe Routes to School grant in the spring to fund more projects.

The first project of the Columbia Falls Safe Routes to School initiative included completion of a sidewalk on Fifth Street West from Nucleus Avenue to Fourth Avenue West.

Fifth Street West now is the designated “safest route” to reach Glacier Gateway Elementary School at 440 Fourth Ave. W.

Within the next few weeks, two push-button crosswalk signals will be installed at the intersections of Fourth Street West and Nucleus Avenue, and Fifth Street West and Nucleus Avenue to alert traffic and improve pedestrian safety.

Glacier Gateway Elementary students living east of Nucleus Avenue are encouraged to use these crossings and then use the sidewalk on the north side of Fifth Street West to get to the school.

The city also plans to install programmable flashing crosswalk signs at Fourth Avenue West and Fifth Street West.

Each school in the district and Columbia Falls City Hall has a large display map of safe routes. In addition to highlighting the safe pedestrian and bicyclist routes, the map also designates 15 mph school speed zones. The school speed limit zones are as follows:

v Glacier Gateway Elementary — Fourth Avenue West from the truck route to Seventh Street West.

v Ruder Elementary — 12th Avenue West from 13th Street West to Talbot Road.

v Columbia Falls High School — 13th Street West from 12th Avenue West to Fourth Avenue West and Sixth Avenue West from Ninth Street West (U.S. 2) to 13th Street West.

Contact the city or a Columbia Falls School District principal to participate in this program. For more information call 892-439.