Efforts to improve pedestrian safety and make it easier for school buses to pick up and drop off students at Crafton Elementary School have received a major boost, courtesy of a federal grant program.
The Borough of Crafton was among eight recipients to share in $6.9 million in funding from the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development spending bill that was signed into law last week, according to a news release from U.S. Rep. Chris Deluzio, D-Fox Chapel.
Crafton will receive $1,338,581 in grant funds to complete a streetscaping and pedestrian safety project along Crafton Boulevard stretching from Noble Avenue to Baldwick Road.
The centerpiece of the project will be the creation of a pull-off/parking area in front of the elementary school that will allow buses to safely pick up and drop off students without impeding the flow of traffic on Crafton Boulevard.
Currently, buses must stop in the lane of traffic to pick up and drop off students, which means motorists going in either direction on Crafton Boulevard must stop while the loading and unloading takes place.
That won’t be the case once the project is completed, although it will be a while before that happens, said Jim Price, the borough manager.
Price estimated it would take about six months before the necessary documents are filed and approved and the funding arrives. In addition, the three local entities involved in the project – Carlynton School District, the city of Pittsburgh and Crafton Borough – will need to agree on a specific project design.
“That will be a little bit of a process,” said Price, who said the goal is to complete the work during the spring and summer of 2027 to have everything in place by the start of the 2027-28 school year.
Price said the project could cost upward of $1.575 million, which means a local match of about $237,000 will be needed. He said it hasn’t yet been determined which of the partners will contribute toward the local match or how much those contributions will be.
The city of Pittsburgh is involved because the border between the city and the borough runs down the middle of Crafton Boulevard before turning down Baldwick Road, Price said.
Price said some streetscaping work already has taken place on Crafton Boulevard, and the new project will be a continuation of that work.
Borough police Chief Richard Ford said the new project will benefit Crafton Elementary School – and everyone who uses it – in a major way.
“Right now there is no pull-off for buses when they drop off and pick up students,” he said. “They have to pull over as far as they can in the lane of travel.”
When there is no designated cutaway lane for buses, buses must activate their stop arms and motorists must stop while the loading and unloading takes place.
The project calls for a pull-off area to be carved out of what is now an unused borough right-of-way in front of the school, and a median strip will be installed to separate the buses from the Crafton Boulevard roadway.
“That way, traffic can continue – motorists won’t be required to stop,” Ford said. “It’s going to be a tremendous safety improvement for the school and the residents who travel through. Right now it can be kind of a logjam and there’s no way around that.
“We’ll end up with a lot more room to keep traffic flowing and improve the safety of our kids first and foremost. It’s a really good project for everyone – and it makes our lives easier as enforcement officers.”
In addition to the work in front of the school, Price said the intersection of Crafton Boulevard and Noble Avenue will be modified a bit to make it safer for pedestrians to cross. Currently, Price said, that section of roadway is about 40 feet wide, which he said can be a challenge for pedestrians to cross.
By extending the curb into the roadway a bit, it will shorten the distance that pedestrians will need to navigate to get from one side of the street to the other, Price said.
Price said the project is “a great example of three agencies working together to achieve a common goal. We love that.”
Carlynton School District Superintendent John Kreider said he was very pleased to learn the grant funds would be forthcoming to enable the project to move forward.
“From the school district’s perspective, this project represents a meaningful investment in student safety, particularly during arrival and dismissal at Crafton Elementary School,” he said.
“The planned improvements along Crafton Boulevard, including pedestrian safety enhancements, improved traffic flow and aesthetic upgrades to the front of (the school) have the potential to make a real difference for our students, families and staff.”
Kreider said the school district has supported the project throughout the grant process because it lines up with its shared goal of creating safer and more accessible school environments.
“We appreciate the collaboration with Crafton Borough, local law enforcement and our elected officials,” he said, “and we look forward to continuing that partnership as the project moves forward.”
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