Watertown awarded TDOT grant

Watertown is one of 12 Tennessee municipalities awarded the Tennessee Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School funding.

Gov. Bill Haslam and TDOT Commissioner John Schroer announced Monday that Watertown will receive $28,000 for improvements at Watertown Elementary and Middle School as part of the Safe Routes to School Program – a statewide initiative designed to make bicycling and walking to school a safer, more appealing and healthier alternative for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. 

School officials plan to use the grant money to implement a school activity plan that will potentially impact over 900 students.

The goal of the plan is to teach safety education and healthy habits by identifying opportunities and creating partnerships between schools, families, local officials, transportation officials, law enforcement, health advocates, and the community. 

The plan will provide a variety of safety choices as determined by the school and community while addressing its travel solutions.

“Safety is a crucial component in our efforts to promote a healthier lifestyle for Tennessee children,” said Haslam. “The Safe Routes to School Program helps create safer walking and biking environments for students and funds activities to encourage children and their parents to increase their physical activity.”

The grant is made possible through a federally funded program administered by the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

“Since 2005, the Safe Routes to School grants have funded improvement projects at 126 schools across Tennessee,” said Schroer. “This creative program allows us to work closely with schools, the community, and local government to promote healthy lifestyle choices and to reinforce those choices by creating a safe environment for children to walk or bike to school.”

This year, TDOT provided more than $1.8 million in Safe Routes to School funds to 12 municipalities for projects across the state.