Student Scott Langlois, left, Erin Reed and John Pierce of MassDOT, state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, Principal Kerry Light, students Taibat Ahmed and Sean Harrigan, MassDOT Chief Engineer Patricia Leavenworth, Mayor Daniel Bianchi, MassDOT District 1 Director Peter Niles and student Risan Hang cut the ribbon on the project Wednesday morning.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Children in the neighborhoods around Silvo O. Conte Community School can now walk safely.

 

In August, the state completed a $400,000 project to build sidewalks around the neighborhood and convert South Atlantic Street into a one-way, which is intended to create traffic flow for drop off and pick up that will limit the number of potential accidents involving vehicles and children. 

 

On Wednesday, state Department of Transportation officials cut the ribbon the project in connection with it being National Walk and Bike to School Day. 

 

"This project is a couple of hundred thousand. But, these are my favorite projects — safe routes to school — because I know that it is making an improvement right here in the neighborhood," said MassDOT Chief Engineer Patricia Leavenworth, to gymnasium full of students.

 

"I get to see you kids walking and biking and using the facilities that we built. It warms my heart," 

 

Conte was one of four projects in the state to be completed over the summer. Three of those held ribbon cuttings on Wednesday — in Worcester, Wakefield and Pittsfield. According to Safe Routes to School Program Coordinator Erin Reed, a total of 34 projects have been funded with 17 being completed.

 

"This is the first in this area," she said.

 

According to Leavenworth, Conte's project came in under budget and was completed early. Local MassDOT officials eyed completion in the spring 2015 but completed it on Aug. 5 instead.

 

"We finished it early and it cost less than we thought it was going to cost," Leavenworth said.

 

The project focused mostly on the safety of students walking and biking. For the neighborhoods, there are trails through the woods students had been using but that they couldn't in the winter. Conte's layout also posed heavy traffic backups with parents dropping and picking up their children and may roads had no sidewalks.

 

State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier said Conte was the city's most difficult school for walking and biking. 

 

Chief Engineer Patricia Leavenworth told the gym full of students that of all the multimillion dollar project she is involved in, she likes these smaller school ones the best.

"This school was challenging because there was no other way out," she told Leavenworth after the ribbon cutting.

 

Mayor Daniel Bianchi said he remembers being the ward's councilor and calling on the city's highway staff to do everything they could in the winter to improve safety there. 

 

"This is wonderful that we have this new project, new way to get to school safely. It is wonderful to be able to see this happen for you kids. We want you to get to school safety," Bianchi said.

 

He added that walking to school is good exercise and good for the students to socialize. Principal Kerry Light also said the improvements will help the school.

 

Following a brief ceremony with the school, the MassDOT, city and school officials joined four students at the entrance to the school to cut the ribbon on the project. 

 

The safe routes to school program is federally funded and administered by MassDOT.