The Minnesota Department of Transportation this week announced the recipients of about $3.8 million in federal grants for 16 projects to improve the conditions and quality of bicycling and walking to school. The grants come from the federally funded Safe Routes to School program.

“These projects will help make walking and biking to school easier for children and more acceptable to their parents,” said MnDOT Commissioner Tom Sorel. “The grants will mean safety improvements in routes to school so students will be more inclined to walk to school. And walking to school is another way to increase exercise for healthier kids.”

Of the 16 projects, 12 are in Greater Minnesota and the rest are in the Twin Cities metropolitan area. All of the grants will be used to improve or build trails and sidewalks for walking and biking.

MnDOT announced the availability of the grants in May and received 82 applications representing $83 million in projects.

While no cities in the Albert Lea area received the grants, the cities in the Rochester and Mankato districts that did were: Goodview, Lewiston, Eyota, Windom, Fairmont and Arglington.

For instance, the Fairmont project constructs a 900-foot trail segment to Five Lakes Elementary School and provide crosswalk improvements.