Marblehead Awarded $400K Grant For Rail Trail Street Crossings

MARBLEHEAD, MA —A nearly $400,000 state grant will allow Marblehead to make safety and pedestrian improvements along the rail trail.

The grant, through the state's Complete Streets program, will facilitate the improvements at the Mohawk/Pleasant, Smith Street and West Shore Drive crossings.

"This is really great news," Marblehead Town Administrator Jason Silva said in a release, "and is the result of the town's work to achieve Complete Streets designation, develop a comprehensive plan for the entire length of the rail trail, and in this phase, request the funding to begin to implement the recommendations of the plan."

Silva credited Marblehead Town Planner Becky Cutting for spearheading the effort to secure the grant, as well as the state legislator contingent, and said a designer and engineer will soon be hired to develop the conceptual plan into engineered construction documents.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation announced $4.47 million in grants in this round of funding designed to fund local multimodal infrastructure projects that improve travel for bicyclists, pedestrians, public transit users and people using other forms of transportation.

"The Complete Streets Program continues to provide municipalities statewide with the vital support they need to help make transportation infrastructure improvements that will ensure safety, connectivity, and accessibility," Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said. "Communities, through the successful program, identify areas within which their respective transportation needs could be further enhanced, and then proactively seek the resources and support needed to facilitate these improvements so that safe, multimodal options are available and accessible for everyone."

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)