Bay Village Seeks $989,000 for Safe Routes to School

City aims to improve safety for students walking and biking to school with new crosswalks, signals, and bike rack relocations.

Published on Mar. 3, 2026

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The city of Bay Village, Ohio is applying for a $989,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation to fund several safety improvements around local schools. The proposed projects include adding crosswalks and flashing beacons at informal crossing areas, upgrading the intersection near Westerly Elementary with new signals and pedestrian-friendly features, and relocating bike racks at Bay Middle School to reduce conflicts with vehicles.

Why it matters

The Safe Routes to School program aims to encourage more students to walk or bike to school by making their commutes safer. Bay Village's proposed improvements address key areas of concern identified through a recent public planning process, with the goal of reducing traffic accidents and enabling more families to choose active transportation options.

The details

Bay Village's grant application includes three main components: 1) Adding crosswalks and rectangular rapid flashing beacons at three informal crossing areas that students currently use, but lack marked crossings; 2) Upgrading the intersection near Westerly Elementary with high-visibility crosswalks, signal backplates, and a pedestrian-priority signal phase; and 3) Relocating bike racks at Bay Middle School to a central location that avoids conflicts with school driveways, and adding a new high-visibility crosswalk in that area.

  • The city must submit the grant application to ODOT by March 6, 2026.
  • If awarded the funding, engineering and design work would occur in 2027-2028.
  • Construction on the proposed safety improvements is expected to begin in 2029.

The players

John Rostash

City Project Manager who received approval from City Council to submit the grant application.

Paul Koomar

Bay Village Mayor who noted the city was previously successful in receiving the bulk of funding requested through the Safe Routes to School program.

Toole Design Group

The consulting firm that partnered with the city to update Bay Village's Safe Routes to School Travel Plan, including soliciting public input.

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What they’re saying

“A lot of that is intersection enhancements to get drivers to stop, not run red lights, and not speed. It's just to bring much more awareness to that intersection and to update the curb ramps to make them ADA compliant.”

— John Rostash, City Project Manager (cleveland.com)

“The ones I have seen have a yellow reflective border on a black background.”

— John Rostash, City Project Manager (cleveland.com)

“They'll prioritize it. But the last travel plan we did, we were pretty successful with the bulk of it.”

— Paul Koomar, Bay Village Mayor (cleveland.com)

What’s next

The city should learn this summer whether it will be awarded the $989,000 in Safe Routes to School funding from the Ohio Department of Transportation.

The takeaway

Bay Village's proposed safety improvements, if funded, would make it safer and more convenient for students to walk and bike to school, supporting the city's goals of encouraging active transportation and reducing traffic accidents around local schools.