LYNN — City officials are seeking state and federal funding for the reconstruction of three roadways to improve traffic and safety in those areas.
WorldTech Engineering has been enlisted as a consultant for the design phase of the project, the reconstruction of portions of Western Avenue, Broadway and Essex Street. The company is also assisting with the funding application process through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The Western Avenue project, from Market Square to Eastern Avenue, and the Essex Street project, from Eastern Avenue to Joyce/Rockaway streets, is anticipated to include complete roadway reconstruction, ADA-compliant cement concrete sidewalks, traffic and safety improvements, streetscape enhancements and other improvements.
The Broadway project — Broadway at Euclid Avenue and Broadway at Jenness Street — is aimed at providing roadway improvements to upgrade the physical condition, safety and traffic operations, and is anticipated to include traffic signal improvements, roadway improvements, ADA-compliant cement concrete sidewalks and improved pedestrian crossings, and multimodal accommodations through each intersection.
The city is seeking the input of residents and businesses, which will be solicited through three public workshops.
The first workshop, for the Western Avenue project, will be Monday, Sept. 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Fraser Field, 365 Western Ave.
The second workshop, on the Broadway project, will be Sept. 18 at 6:30 p.m. at Jonah Real Estate, 270 Broadway. A third workshop for the Essex Street project has yet to be scheduled.
“It’s an opportunity to come and provide important input on three important stretches of roadway that need attention and the mayor is being really aggressive when it comes to seeking funding for the rehabilitation of these roadways,” said James Marsh, director of community development.
Marsh said a portion of Broadway, from Flax Pond to Lynnfield Street, was reconstructed in 2014, a roughly $8 million project that was paid for through the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), the same type of state and federal funding the city is currently seeking.
Richard Benevento, president of WorldTech Engineering, said the entire project would be funded through TIP, but the city is responsible for the design. Road reconstruction and safety improvements for all three areas is estimated to cost $34.5 million — work on Western Avenue is projected to cost $21 million, Essex Street is projected to cost $10 million and the Broadway project is estimated at $3.5 million.
Marsh said the three areas were chosen for reconstruction based on how heavily traversed they are and high crash data.
Benevento cited statistics from MassDOT that showed Lynn has eight intersections on the list of top 200 high-accident intersections in the state.
Those are Lynnfield Street at Broadway; Western Avenue at Chestnut Street; Western Avenue at Washington Street; Western Avenue at Franklin Street; Essex Street at Joyce Street; Western Avenue at Eastern Avenue; Broadway at Euclid Avenue; and Western Avenue at Summer Street.
“Lynn is right up there in terms of pedestrian crash clusters,” said Benevento. “The good news is Lynn will score very well when it comes to seeking federal and state funding to fix some of these locations.”
