Sidney Safe Routes to School Trail Design

As part of the Senior Design Capstone Course, Civil & Environmental Engineering students identified trail route alternatives connecting the Sidney community to the Sidney High School located just outside of town, and provided the trail design and cost estimates for the selected route. 

Sidney Hometown Pride is a non-profit in Sidney Iowa that works to improve the quality of life in their small town with the help of community members and the Keep Iowa Beautiful program.  They sought trail route alternatives that connected Sidney residential areas to the Sidney High School in order to increase safety and to provide dedicated spaces for kids to get to school. Civil & Environmental Engineering students provided design alternatives and cost estimates, keeping the following factors in mind.

  • The proposed routes maximized use of city and county right-of-way
  • The design for the selected route included a designed crossing on Foote Street/ Knox Road
  • The trail design complied with ADA standards
  • The trail design accommodated for slope near the high school
  • The design included the use of curb walls as appropriate
  • The design provided recommendations about the green space adjacent to the trail, including the use of native vegetation              
  • The design included cost estimates