SLIPPERY ROCK — An 1,100-foot-long sidewalk will be built along State Route 258 near Slippery Rock Elementary School.

The sidewalk is part of a state-funded project to improve the Slippery Rock Trail.

The Commonwealth Financing Authority on Friday approved a grant of $212,188 to improve the trail that will include the sidewalk near the school.

It will be used to extend a walking trail along the eastern side of State Route 258 to Kelly Boulevard. The proposed work also includes about 1,100 feet of sidewalk beginning at the driveway of the elementary school north to Kelly Boulevard.

The sidewalk will provide a safe route between the school and the future site of the Slippery Rock Community Library, and is part of the downtown revitalization effort.

State Rep. Jaret Gibbons, D-10th, who represents the area and is the minority chairman of the House’s Tourism and Recreational Development Committee, called the project “a vital component to enhance tourism and boost economic opportunity in the downtown business district.”

The financing authority is an independent agency which administers and finances projects and oversees state investments for economic development across Pennsylvania.

School officials were not available for comment Friday.