Fresno council to consider $700,000 grant application for safety audits near 15 schools

The Fresno City Council is scheduled to consider authorizing a Caltrans grant application seeking up to $700,000 for safety audits near 15 Fresno schools.

The proposed action is listed for the council’s September 17, 2026, meeting. If approved, it would authorize the city’s Public Works director or designee to submit the application and handle related grant documents. The request would seek planning funds; it would not itself approve construction, new traffic controls or immediate changes around the schools.

What the council would authorize

The resolution would allow Fresno to apply for a Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant through the California Department of Transportation, or Caltrans. The maximum requested amount is $700,000.

The proposed project would continue the city’s Vision Zero work by conducting school-area safety audits and developing recommended safety countermeasures for selected locations. The resolution also says the city has, or will have, sufficient funds to provide any required matching funds.

Fresno would receive and administer grant funds only if the city submits the application and Caltrans later awards the grant.

The 15 proposed locations

The official project attachment lists locations in all seven Fresno City Council districts and across Fresno Unified, Clovis Unified and Central Unified school districts:

District 1: Heaton Elementary, Williams Elementary and Central East High
District 2: Lawless Elementary
District 3: El Capitan Middle, Kirk Elementary and Sunset Elementary
District 4: Holland Elementary and Norseman Elementary
District 5: Sequoia Middle and Lane Elementary
District 6: Mountain View Elementary
District 7: Hidalgo Elementary, Rowell Elementary and Turner Elementary

The city says the locations were selected using collision data, proximity to Fresno’s high-injury network, geographic distribution across the city and distribution among school districts. Schools already audited, or already being audited, through Fresno Unified’s “Safe Streets for Students” project were omitted to avoid overlap.

What the proposal would—and would not—mean

The audits could identify problems involving crossings, vehicle traffic, walking routes and bicycling conditions near the selected school areas. The project materials describe planning and recommended countermeasures, not guaranteed construction at every location.

Even if the council approves the application, residents should not expect physical improvements based solely on the September 17 agenda item. Any future changes would depend on the audit findings, later project decisions and available funding.

Next dates

The council is scheduled to consider the authorization on September 17, 2026. Caltrans lists October 9, 2026, at 5 p.m. as the application deadline for the relevant fiscal 2027-28 Sustainable Transportation Planning Grant cycle.

That October 9 date is a grant-submission deadline, not a construction or audit-completion deadline. Caltrans says grant recommendations are expected in fall 2026 or winter 2027, with award announcements planned for spring 2027. Residents, parents and school staff can therefore view the council item as the first decision in a longer planning and funding process.

Sources

Look for updates to this story

Discover more from Interactive News

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.