(PUEBLO, Colo.) — A public meeting was held on Wednesday, Feb. 26 to present information and plans for the implementation of a safety grant aimed at making routes to school safer for students of Haaff Elementary School in Pueblo.

The City of Pueblo said it recently received a Safe Routes to School grant from the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) to construct multi-use sidewalks and connections to give students a direct route to the school entrance.

“The intent of the improvements for this Safe Routes to School Grant is to provide a more accessible and safer route for the community to access Haaff Elementary School,” said Director of Public Works, Andrew Hayes.

The community was invited to the meeting on Wednesday to find out about the project and ask questions about how changes may affect their neighborhoods.

According to the City, the project includes installation of high visibility crosswalks to alert drivers of pedestrian activity, installation of ADA curb ramps to improve accommodation for all users, and design for reconstruction of the intersection of Jerry Murphy Road and Chinook Lane. Proposed improvements at the intersection include upgrading the traffic signal, constructing a southbound right-turn lane, and improving the sidewalk, curb ramps, and crosswalks.  

“In this particular case, it constructs improvements that don’t exist currently,” said Andrew Hayes, Director of Public Works for the City of Pueblo. “So there’s sidewalks here in certain areas that don’t exist now that will. It also brings existing curb ramps into compliance for the future. So things were built before the 90s or so, we have curb ramp standards that have changed over time, and this will make sure that they’re meeting accessibility standards.”

Phase one of the development includes design and construction of the concrete improvements in front of the school, which the City said would begin in summer of 2025.