The stretch of Pueblo road identified as the most dangerous in the district will soon be updated to make conditions safer for school children, thanks to a large grant and at least $50,000 of marijuana excise tax revenue.
Kids living east of North Mesa Elementary School have two choices when walking or biking to school: the ditch or the street – neither of which are safe options.
Additionally, the amount of traffic, congestion and the conditions make the road hazardous.
But soon, these children will have a three-quarter-mile length of brand new sidewalk to help get them to school safely every day.
This is made possible with a $200,000 grant from Colorado Safe Routes to Schools, as well as the portion of marijuana tax revenue.
“This project is one of 15 capital improvement projects that are proof of how the County’s regulation on marijuana is improving the community,” Pueblo County Commissioner Terry Hart said.
As one of the 15 Community Development Fund projects, Pueblo County allocated $400,000 of marijuana excise tax revenue to be put towards various Safe Routes to Schools projects.
A press release by the Pueblo County Board Of County Commissioners states, “The $200,000 Safe Routes to School Grant is an 80/20 grant, meaning 80 percent of the grant award of $200,000 is required to be matched by 20 percent of local money in the amount of $50,000.”
Pueblo County Commissioner Terry Hart said of the scheduled improvements, “This project is one of 15 capital improvement projects that are proof of how the County’s regulation on marijuana is improving the community.”
