For years, kids waited for the school bus on Shore Road with nothing between them and passing traffic. That's about to change.

The Town of Greenwich awarded a construction contract Tuesday to build a dedicated sidewalk along Shore Road in Old Greenwich, closing a gap on a stretch that carries about 2,250 vehicles a day and passes several school bus stops with no separation from traffic. A. Vitti Excavators, LLC will build the sidewalk between Sound Beach Avenue and South Crossway.

No start date has been set. The contractor first has to submit insurance and contract paperwork for town review — a process that can take several weeks — before a pre-construction meeting locks in the schedule and traffic plan.

Once work begins, crews will operate within a single lane using alternating one-way traffic, Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m., with police directing traffic on site. Roads will be restored to drivable condition each evening.

This is Phase 2 of "Sidewalks on Shore," a campaign Old Greenwich residents launched in 2022. Phase 1, from Tomac Avenue to Sound Beach Avenue, was built in fall 2023.

Phase 2 gained momentum through several town studies backing the need, and local physician Marcie Molloy urged funders to act, calling the lack of safe pedestrian access to Tod's Point "negligent."

The town requested $1.25 million for the work, though the final contract value hasn't been disclosed.

The sidewalk isn't just for commuters and school kids — it also serves Greenwich Point Park visitors. Sidewalks on Shore's 2022 count found roughly 10% of the park's summer visitors, about 238 people on an average day, walk in via Shore Road.

Ian Brown, a civil engineer with the Department of Public Works, is managing the project. Reach him at 203-622-7860 or through the contact form with "Shore Road Sidewalk Project" in the subject line.

The town says it will post a construction schedule once a start date is confirmed.