Elyria, Ohio – February 07, 2013 – KS Associates, a civil engineering and surveying firm located in Elyria, Ohio, is working with Ohio communities to create safer streets, promote physical activity for school children and reduce air pollution. The firm is putting its engineering expertise to work by helping municipalities plan, fund, design, and administer infrastructure projects that provide safe and convenient ways for children to walk or bicycle to school.
The effort stems from the Safe Routes to School (SRTS) initiative, a federal program that aims to make bicycling and walking to school a safer and more appealing transportation alternative, thereby encouraging a healthy and active lifestyle from an early age. It also aims to facilitate the implementation of projects that will reduce traffic, fuel consumption and air pollution in the vicinity of schools.
KS Associates is working with local jurisdictions, helping them navigate their way through the SRTS process and implement improvement projects. These projects range from new sidewalks and ADA accessible routes to traffic and roadway safety improvements, on- and off-street bicycle facilities, and more. KS Associates has also helped communities identify and secure funding for these important projects.
KS Associates led the effort to secure $836,563 in grants from the Ohio Department of Transportation for the City of Vermilion’s SRTS initiatives. The firm’s role was to identify projects from the approved School Travel Plan, participate in community outreach, prepare preliminary cost estimates for various projects, help the community finalize project selection and prepare the grant applications.
KS Associates performed the design of improvements and prepared bidding documents for a $400,000 Village of Sheffield SRTS project. KS also performed construction administration and construction inspection for the City of Vermilion’s first SRTS construction project, which had a cost of $154,871. Both projects were recently completed and put into service.
According to Lynn S. Miggins, P.E., President of KS Associates, “Our firm has been involved in all facets of SRTS projects – helping communities apply for and secure funding, providing design services, and when SRTS projects become reality, providing construction phase services. We look forward to opportunities to help our clients construct infrastructure designed to increase physical activity among children, provide pedestrian safety and ease traffic congestion – all with an emphasis on the environment.”
Image caption: These before and after photos of a busy State Route in Ohio near a Middle School show the improved access for school children.
About KS Associates:
KS Associates is a civil engineering and land surveying firm founded in 1987. The firm provides planning, design, bidding and construction phase services related to public infrastructure projects in the areas of transportation, potable water, waste water and storm water; site development engineering services for institutional, commercial and residential uses; land surveying and mapping services; and 3D laser scanning services. For more information visit: http://www.ksassociates.com.