Governor Mike DeWine announced grant money totaling half a million dollars, to be awarded to the city of Struthers. It's all apart of several projects receiving funds from the Ohio Department of Transportation's safe routes to school program.

After nearly five years of putting in work to secure the grant, Struthers Mayor Catherine Cercone Miller, said she is very pleased to have been awarded the money.

"This was something that has taken a lot of time and a lot of energy and a lot of effort just to be able to apply, so we're really proud of it," Miller said.

Miller tells 21 News she listened to the people and what they wanted was to be able to move about the city, on a bike or on foot, a lot safer.

"One of the top projects we identified was a project that would start at 616 Poland Avenue and go all the way to Midlothian," Miller said.

The project is being called a multi-use path that will take about two feet from the street to allow for walkers, bikers or students to travel freely.

"We have a lot of kids that live off of Fifth Street and the middle school is right there and we also have St. Nick's school that's right there," Miller said. "So they'll be able to travel safer so parents can have a better confidence when they're getting to and from school," she said.

This is just the first of potentially four phases and the project as a whole will certainly cost more than half a million dollars.

"That phase will begin on Fifth Street on the east side of the street and then it'll begin at the bottom of Creed and go all the way to Rita," Miller said. "The next phase will start at Creed and go all the way to Elm and so forth, so we have to piece it together," she said.

Miller hopes to have the entire project completed in 3 to 4 years.