Safe Routes to School: Manhattan Middle School

• Fall 2022: We heard from the Manhattan Middle School community that walking, biking, and rolling on Manhattan Drive feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and submitted a grant application for funding to improve safety.
• May 2023: The City of Boulder was awarded $707,222 in Safe Routes to School grant funding for improvements to Manhattan Drive. View the grant award press release.
• Fall 2025: We will receive the grant award funds, continue community engagement and begin conceptual design.
• Spring 2026: We will complete community engagement and design work, and begin construction.
• Spring 2027: We anticipate completing construction, pending final design details and contractor availability.

Community Engagement

We heard from the Manhattan Middle School community in 2022 that walking, biking and rolling on Manhattan Drive feel unsafe and uncomfortable due to:

• Lack of a bike facility: There is currently no bike lane or other bike facility on Manhattan Drive.
• Narrow sidewalks: Sidewalks on both sides of the street are not wide enough to accommodate the number of students using the sidewalks to walk, bike, or roll to school.
• High vehicle speeds: Speed data indicates that the majority of drivers on Manhattan Drive routinely travel significantly faster than the 20 mph speed limit. The 85^th percentile speed collected was 29-31 mph, meaning 85% of drivers were traveling at or below this speed.
• Uncomfortable crossings: Crossing Manhattan Drive feels unsafe due to high vehicle speeds, lack of yielding compliance, and the high level of activity during drop-off and pickup times.
• Limited visibility: The curves on Manhattan Drive south of Baseline Road and high levels of on-street parking limit visibility for all road users.

We will re-engage with the community in fall 2025 to understand the current school community’s concerns and priorities for improving safety on Manhattan Drive.

Funding

This project is funded by a combination of a federal Safe Routes to School grant award and city funds. View the 2023 grant award press release.

This grant supports other projects in the area to make walking, biking and rolling safer and more comfortable. This includes signal timing that gives pedestrians a head start at the Baseline Road and Manhattan Drive intersection as well as paving and restriping Baseline Road east of Foothills Parkway both completed in 2024.