The office of state Sen. Meg Loughran Cappel has announced that Plainfield will receive $250,000 through the Illinois Safe Routes to School program this year.

The funding will be used to “improve pedestrian safety and expand opportunities for safely walking and biking in the community,” according to the announcement.

“Encouraging students to walk and bike to school helps emphasize the importance of health and community,” Loughran Cappel, D-Shorewood, said in the statement. “When we make it safer for children to walk and bike to school, they are more likely to do so, setting them up for healthy lifestyles.”

Plainfield’s $250,000 grant will be used for the installation of new sidewalks along Frederick, Robert and Norman avenues, and to construct crosswalks and ADA-compliant ramps along those sidewalks.

The Safe Routes to School program is funded through a federal program and administered by the Illinois Department of Transportation. The program funds projects including sidewalk improvements, traffic safety measures, public education efforts and community outreach initiatives.

Plainfield’s project is one of 68 approved this year, which will receive a total of $12 million in funding.