Tewksbury Gets $400,000 For Sidewalk, Other Improvements

TEWKSBURY, MA -- Tewksbury will receive $400,000 of the $6.4 million the state is handing out under it Complete Streets grant program. The money is earmarked for reconstruction of sidewalks and safety improvements including new wheelchair ramps, pedestrian signals, and bicycle markings. Additionally, the LRTA bus stop will be relocated to a new ADA-complaint location.

"We are pleased to continue supporting our municipal partners so they can achieve their transportation and economic development goals," Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito said in a news release announcing the grants. "These funding awards will enable communities across the Commonwealth to carry out projects that install new sidewalks, bicycle lanes, crosswalks, intersections, and other accommodations for people to safely and easily reach the places they need to go."

These Complete Streets funding awards are in addition to $900 million authorized by the Baker-Polito Administration in Chapter 90 local transportation funding for cities and towns since 2015. In addition, $21.2 million has also been awarded through the Administration’s Small Bridge Program, which was announced in 2016 and allows municipalities to repair or replace their small bridges which are not eligible for federal funding.

The Complete Streets Funding Program was launched on February 1, 2016. To date, 161 municipalities have approved policies and 111 have approved Prioritization Plans. Examples of projects that can be addressed through the program include improved street lighting, radar speed signage, intersection signalization, new multimodal paths and new signals at crosswalks.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).