Aliquippa School District officials say the construction of new walkways at the junior/senior high school campus will be under way soon. Superintendent David
Wytiaz said construction bids for Aliquippa’s $404,800 grant project through PennDOT’s Safe Routes to School program are expected to go out next month.
The bulk of the work is scheduled to take in the spring.
Widmer Engineering Inc. in Beaver Falls is handling the project. Tony Sadaka of Widmer said the work probably will begin in the spring and is expected to take
about four months.
Wytiaz said the original scope of the work has changed. When Aliquippa received the federal grant in 2006 for project design and construction, plans were to
renovate a walkway and stairs leading from the school campus, behind the stadium, to the 1100 block of Franklin Avenue. However, Wytiaz said, the
projected cost to rehabilitate the old stairway would be $1 million.
Plans are now in place for the renovation and installation of new steps and sidewalks in front of the junior/senior high campus. The walkway system will
extend from the front of the school to Main Street in Plan 12.
Sadaka said the project will improve safety for pedestrian students and residents going to the school buildings. Lighting will also be installed along the new
walkway, wytiaz said.
Wytiaz said the city’s population has shifted from Plan 11 to Plan 12, so it made
sense to gear the funding toward a busier area.
Construction costs will be reimbursed through the grant program.
“This doesn’t cost the taxpayers anything,” Wytiaz said.
