FEDERAL GRANT TO FUND SAFE SCHOOL WALKWAY.

Byline: Daily News Staff

SANTA CLARITA - The small, narrow bridge that crosses Sand Canyon Creek is barely wide enough for two vehicles, leaving little room for pedestrians.

But soon, walkers, strollers and bikers will have their own walkway.

The city of Santa Clarita has been awarded a $450,000 federal grant to build a small paseo-like walkway over Sand Canyon Creek along Lost Canyon Road that leads to Sulphur Springs Community School and Pine Crest Elementary.

Gov. Gray Davis awarded the ``Safe Route to Schools'' grant after Sulphur Springs complained to the city about limited access to the school - no sidewalks and a narrow bridge that forces students to walk in vehicles' paths.

Mark Yamarone, a planning and programming administrator with the city's transportation and engineering services, said this money will help get students off of the roadway by building the bridge and installing 300 feet of sidewalk leading to the schools.

These and dozens of other schools in Los Angeles and Orange County will benefit from state road improvements paid for with $24 million in federal funds, officials said. This is the second phase of grants to be awarded since the program began in 1999.

``With these grants, California has allocated $50 million in transportation funds specifically to ensure the safety of our students,'' Davis said in a statement.

He said the money will pay for traffic signals, bike lanes, sidewalks, traffic signs, crosswalks and other roadway improvements.

Sandra Smith, Sulphur Springs principal, said the school has been asking the city to widen the bridge and to add sidewalks.

Traffic along Lost Canyon Road is so congested that school and the Sheriff's Department implemented a valet parking program to ensure students' safety, she said.

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With a new walkway, kids won't have to brave the narrow bridge across Sand Canyon Creek.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer