MOSES LAKE - Volunteers were out walking Wednesday afternoon, reviewing the safety of routes students will be taking to and from Endeavor Middle School.

The event was part of a safe walking routes audit by the Moses Lake School District and Grant County Health District to apply for a grant from the state Department of Transportation. The Safe Routes to School program provides assistance and resources to cities, counties and schools for improvements to get more children walking and biking to school safely.

Theresa Adkinson, of the health district, said the audit shows which paths pose potential safety concerns for students. Parents and officials from the health district, school district, Grant County Sheriff's Office and the Port of Moses Lake walked five different routes near the school, marking intersections and streets lacking crosswalks, the behavior of drivers, traffic congestion, bad lighting or lack of sidewalks. Adkinson said one of the main concerns is along Patton Boulevard, which runs along the school campus, where traffic is high throughout the day from nearby industrial businesses and drivers speeding. Adkinson also noted there is no sidewalk on one side of Patton Boulevard where some students would likely use to walk home.

The information collected will be used to generate maps of the walking routes and concerns to county and city planners.

State law requires that school districts post safe walking routes for all schools in the district. Moses Lake School District Superintendent Michelle Price said the audit will help develop new walking zones for the middle school.

"The state formula for walking to school for middle school students is a mile and a half walk-out," she said. "Kids could walk as far as a mile and half to any middle school in our community. We have to evaluate if there are unsafe conditions that would change that zone such as, out here, some industrial and college traffic. This is just another way as a community effort to look at it and also to look at potential grants for improvement."