LYNN — A new grant-funded program aims to make city streets safer by beginning to build a bicycle network that would connect the downtown to its surrounding neighborhoods.
Lynn has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) to implement the Lynn Safe Streets project.
Awarded through the agency’s Shared Streets and Spaces grant program, the funding will enable the city to create bike lanes, and in the case of North Common Street, a shared bus and bike lane, that will increase access to the downtown, according to City Planner Aaron Clausen.
On South Common Street and Market Street, the protected bike lanes will be located along the designated route for the city’s portion of the Northern Strand Trail, which is currently under construction, Clausen said.
The new temporary lanes will provide an immediate connection to the future bike trail while design and engineering of the extension for a permanent bicycle facility is finalized.
“This is a temporary measure to kind of get people safer access to the beach, but safer access to and through downtown and (also connect) it to the Northern Strand,” said Clausen. “The idea was to prop up some bike lanes and, in the case of North Common, a bus/bike lane and network of street corridors into the downtown.”
Through the project, the downtown would be connected to surrounding neighborhoods that include key institutions, such as the YMCA, schools, City Hall and the Lynn Public Library.
Funding will support the temporary creation of bike lanes, or facilities, on Neptune Boulevard, Wheeler Street, State Street, Broad Street, and a bus and bike only lane on North Common Street.
Under the grant program, the funding must be used for street enhancements that can be quickly implemented at a relatively low cost, with the aim of making city streets safer for all modes of transportation.
The corridors were selected for quick deployment and their location in high-crash areas, as identified by the Highway Safety Improvement Program.
The implementation of the bike lanes is underway — Neptune Boulevard has been relined — and needs to be completed by the first week of October under the city’s grant agreement with MassDOT, Clausen said.
“It’s intended to build quick interventions at a fairly low cost to provide safer streets during COVID,” said Clausen. “Ultimately, the vision is a permanent cycle track to downtown and connecting with Northern Strand.”
Although new bicycle and transit facilities implemented as part of the Lynn Safe Streets project are near term and temporary in nature, they are the first step in implementing permanent changes to the roadway that balances the needs of vehicles with pedestrians, bicycles and transit users, Clausen said, noting that the city is working with the Department of Conservation & Recreation for additional funding.
“We appreciate the technical assistance and funding support from MassDOT to carry out these quick build solutions in response to changed travel behaviors due to the COVID-19 pandemic,“ said Mayor Thomas M. McGee. “The bus and bike only lanes included with this project will provide safer roadways for all users, improve access to non-motorized transportation in the near-term, while laying the groundwork for a future complete street network buildout throughout the city.”
