LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — After six decades without proper walkways, Lehigh Acres Elementary School students will soon have a safer route to class thanks to a newly approved sidewalk project.
Lee County Commissioners have given the green light to build sidewalks around the school, addressing a long-standing safety concern in the community.
Click here to see Community Correspondent Victoria Quevedo speak with Lehigh Acres neighbor about the project.
"I think every arterial road and all your major roads should all have sidewalks. There's a lot of people that do walk, and it is a, you know, lower income community, so a lot of people are out there walking, and we need to get them off the street to be to be safer," said Derek Felder, a Lehigh Acres neighbor who is highly involved in the community.
The $216,000 project, funded by a federal Safe Routes to School grant, will include building a five-foot-wide sidewalk, repairing existing walkways, and improving drainage around the school.
Felder says the school district does not provide buses within a two-mile radius of the school, making sidewalks even more essential for student safety.
"Either they're walking or sometimes parents don't even feel comfortable letting their kids walks because of the traffic and the safety issues," Felder said.
Construction is scheduled to begin in July and should be completed by October, just after the start of the new school year.
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