The Oregon Transportation Commission approved four Safe Routes to School projects in Central Oregon last week, to the tune of $3.4 million. The projects focus on ensuring safer travel within a 2-mile radius of schools.

The city of Redmond will receive $67,608 to improve safety near Sage Elementary School. These improvements include crosswalk marking and strategies to reduce speeding in the school zone.

The city of Bend will receive $765,711 for improvements to crosswalks and shared-use pathways around Bear Creek Elementary School.

The Oregon Department of Transportation will receive $1.5 million for a multi-use path along U.S. Highway 97 for M.A. Lynch Elementary students in Redmond. The transportation department will also receive $990,766 for marked crossings at state Highway 126, also for M.A. Lynch Elementary students.

Projects are funded through the Oregon Department of Transportation’s Safe Routes to School grant program. The transportation commission received 89 applications for this round of funding, and 28 projects were funded .