SALEM — The city is set to receive $146,000 in grants to support street safety from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation.
The department awarded Salem a $96,000 Shared Streets and Spaces grant to fund the city’s North Street Safety Enhancement Project in addition to a $50,000 allocation for equipment to seasonally sweep and plow bicycle lanes in Salem. These funds will make possible the installation of new signs with flexible posts and roadway striping to clearly outline travel lanes, parking areas, bus stops, and new bike lanes.
According to the City’s website, these grants will help Salem reduce unsafe driving, improve pedestrian safety, and enhance visibility at intersections and driveways. They will also help support its goal to consolidate and improve access to some bus stops serving Salem’s North Street corridor. The project spans the area from Franklin Street to the Peabody line.
“These Shared Streets and Spaces grants will support our work to make North Street a safer corridor for drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists, and to keep our existing bike and multiuse lanes safer and clearer for residents’ enjoyment,” Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a statement. “As a result of our many shared and complete streets projects — like the work on North Street — residents, employees, and visitors can travel more safely through the corridor whether walking, biking, or driving. I’m grateful to our state partners who have made this funding possible and to the City staff who have worked to secure these grants and previous shared street grants that the City has received.”
The City expects to implement these changes in late August or early September. Once they are complete, Bluebikes share stations will be available adjacent to the MBTA Commuter Rail station.
The project’s design is informed by outreach and analysis from the Imagine Salem Community Vision, 2018 Bicycle Master Plan, and 2019 North Salem Walk Audit, according to the City’s website.
“This project will introduce safety and accessibility improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users,” the City’s director of traffic and parking, David Kucharsky said in a statement. “The goal is to reduce vehicular speeds and make it safer for all users while improving the quality of life for the neighborhoods surrounding this vital corridor.”
Rachel Barber can be reached at [email protected].
