Safe Routes to Schools, Savannah-Chatham County Public Schools, 4 locations

This project involves improvements to street crossings and pedestrian pathways at or near several schools in Chatham County, as part of the federal Safe Routes to Schools Program. Project activities will improve pedestrian and bicycle connections for students near four Chatham County elementary schools, as follows: 1) Garden City Elementary, Kessler Avenue: The project will replace existing school zone signs with flashing beacon signs at both ends of the Kessler Avenue school zone. The project will install a new 600-foot sidewalk along the southwest side of Kessler Avenue to connect the nearby Arbors Apartments and Garden City Townhomes communities; some fill may be needed to construct this sidewalk due to a downward slope at the edge of the unpaved shoulder. The existing crosswalk near the wooden ramp will be upgraded to GDOT standards with high-visibility striping pattern, pedestrian crossing signs, and ADA-compliant concrete and dome pads. In addition, a new 40-foot sidewalk segment will connect the Kessler Point Apartments entrance to this upgraded crosswalk. Finally, a new crosswalk at the terminus of the new sidewalk will be installed to serve the Arbors Apartments and Garden City Townhomes communities. Some landscaping near the apartment community entrances located on the right-of-way may need to be removed to accommodate the sidewalk and crosswalk curb ramps. Alternatively, the proposed sidewalk could be extended 250 feet past the wooden ramp and directly to the school entrance. 2) White Bluff Elementary, White Bluff Road: The proposed project would improve pedestrian connectivity along White Bluff Road between Montgomery Cross Road and Magnolia Avenue, a segment of nearly one mile in length, by constructing a 4,100-foot sidewalk with ADA compliant curb ramps and dome pads at crossings. The project will fill gaps in the existing discontinuous sidewalk on the west side of White Bluff Road. Landscaping along the roadway shoulder, including small trees and shrubs, will be removed to accommodate the new sidewalk of the proposed project. An alternative to the proposed project is to construct the sidewalk as described, without a 500-foot section just north of White Bluff Elementary, due to this area being populated with a dense collection of large, mature live oaks and pine trees. Another alternative to the project is to make improvements at both White Bluff Road crossings to the school's main entrance at Television Circle; this would include high-visibility striping and ADA compliant curb ramps and dome pads. 3) Largo-Tibet Elementary, Largo Drive and Tibet Avenue: This project will involve a new sidewalk and crosswalks on Largo Drive and ADA compliant improvements to existing sidewalks and crossings on Tibet Avenue. This project would extend the sidewalk along Largo Drive farther south from Wilshire Boulevard to Tranquilla Drive (approximately totaling 11600 feet of new sidewalk), and install a crosswalk with ADA compliant ramps and dome pads at Colleen Drive. This sidewalk may require a meandering design. Crosswalk striping will be required on Wilshire Boulevard. Along Tibet Avenue, an existing sidewalk will be rerouted around a utility pole on the north side, and ADA compliant curb ramps and dome pads will be installed at four crosswalk locations. Alternatives to this project include improvements (ADA compliant curb ramps and dome pads) at the intersection of largo Drive and Tibet Avenue {SE corner) and the extension of the Largo Drive sidewalk for another 400 feet to meet Abercorn Street. 4) Georgetown Elementary, King George Boulevard, St. lves Drive} St. lves Way: This project would construct about 1AOO feet of new sidewalk on the east side of King George Boulevard between St. Ives Drive and the northerly entrance of King Henry Court. Crosswalks will be painted and ADA compliant ramps will also be constructed at the five intersections along the new sidewalk. A 60-foot portion of the sidewalk will span a drainage canal· adjacent to a concrete box culvert. The project will also construct about 11400 feet of sidewalk on the northern side of St. Ives Drive between King George Boulevard and the St. Ives Drive concrete box culvert. A meandering sidewalk design will be likely in this area due to previous utility disturbances. There will also be an upgrade to the crosswalk at the King George Boulevard/St. Ives Drive/north school entrance intersection; this crosswalk will be improved with high-visibility restriping, new curb ramps and dome pads, and new pedestrian crossing signs. Further, there will be a 30-foot sidewalk segment constructed on west King George Boulevard to connect to this crosswalk.