Hidden Valley Hawks who walk and cycle to school are about to get a new pathway to campus.

Construction of a 400-foot sidewalk/pathway is expected to be completed this week. The project will link existing sidewalks on Parker Hill Road and Chanate in front of the K-6 campus.

The $190,000 project also includes a walkway/bridge over Paulin Creek.

An in-house survey of Hidden Valley students by new principal Liz Newman indicated that approximately 40 percent of fourth, fifth and sixth graders either walk or ride their bikes to school.  About 28 percent of kindergarten through third graders walk or ride to school, Newman said.

“That pathway was identified a long, long time ago; by the school, by the neighborhood groups,” said Julia Gonzalez, marketing and public outreach coordinator for the Santa Rosa Public Works Department.

The project was funded by the state surface transportation program and an air quality grant through the federal transportation department, according to supervising engineer Dave Montague. No general fund money was used, he said.