ARLINGTON — New sidewalks on both sides of Gifford Avenue are the city’s New Year’s gift to the community.

Earlier this week, the Arlington City Council voted to advertise for bids to construct a $120,230 sidewalk project on Gifford between First and Third streets.

Currently, children walking to and from Haller Middle School, Presidents Elementary School and the Arlington Library on Gifford have to share the road with vehicles.

The contract to build the sidewalks is scheduled to be awarded by mid-February and construction is expected to begin in April. The Gifford Avenue project is to be funded by a $92,000 federal economic stimulus grant, with the remainder coming from the city’s transportation improvement fund, city public works director James Kelly said.

Without the federal money, the project just wouldn’t happen, city spokeswoman Kristin Banfield said.

“This truly is a gift,” Banfield said. “The project will provide jobs and produce a much-needed safety improvement for our kids.”

Banfield, whose child attends the nearby elementary school, says she watches many children dodge cars each day when she picks up her daughter from school.

“We’re talking about hundreds of kids in the street,” she said. “After the sidewalks are built, I think we might see even more people out walking because then they’ll be in a safer place.”

The new sidewalks will be made of permeable concrete to deal with water runoff. The project also includes curbs, gutters, wheelchair ramps, new residential driveway entrances and road surface restoration, Kelly said.

For more information about the project, call the city at 360-403-3459.

Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.