The Calvin S. Smith Elementary Sky Hawks are taking to the air — to get to school.

The school got a new sky bridge this year to help children safely over 6200 South. City officials and state legislators gathered to officially open the "Sky Hawk Sky Walk" Wednesday, Oct. 6, in celebration of National Walk to School Day.

The $1.3 million bridge is a proactive measure to prevent accidents along busy 6200 South, which recently opened a continuous-flow intersection at Redwood Road, said Taylorsville spokesman Don Adams. The school, just west of Redwood Road at 2200 W. 6200 South, has seen a huge increase in traffic, prompting the city to build the bridge before an accident occurred. A second bridge is in the works for Bennion Junior High at 2700 West.

The project is a partnership among Taylorsville, the Granite School District and FedEx. The bridge is a city project, paid for with federal grants, and the school district donated school property for the bridge footprint. FedEx donated $10,000, which paid for 10 traffic-control signs, a radar speed sign and repainting the school parking lot.

"We're all about creating an environment where kids can feel safe walking to school," Adams said.

The elementary bridge is dedicated to James "Jim" Smith, a crossing guard at the school who was hit early in the morning on 2700 West while putting out traffic cones on Dec. 16, 2008. He died of his injuries on New Year's Day 2009. Smith was a tireless advocate for school safety, said fellow crossing guard Brenda Achter, who believes he would have been pleased with the project.

Crossing guards will continue to help students on the east-west crosswalks on 6200 South at 2200 West, Achter said, but guards are happy to leave busy 6200 South.

"If you got any sort of break [in traffic], the race was on," Achter remembers.

Parents are also happy about the change. Taren Johnson walks her first-grader, Colton, to school in the morning, but time demands related to her other children mean she must meet him halfway on the way home. Colton had to cross 6200 South each day of kindergarten, and even with a crossing guard, he was nearly hit several times.

"I feel a lot more safe," Johnson said.

School and city officials are hoping the bridge will prompt more students to walk to school, said Granite Superintendent Martin Bates. Cuts to physical education mean kids are less active at school, so walking to and from is a good way to get extra exercise.

"To allow kids to do this healthy thing, we have to take steps to make them safe," Bates said.

Students were eager to cross the bridge Wednesday morning and receive a sticker from Taylorsville Mayor Russ Wall or one of the state legislators on hand. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony, students pledged to use the bridge when crossing, whether for school or play.