LYNN — Residents and businesses affected by the massive renovation of Essex Street have another chance to hear updates and share concerns when the city holds a public information session at the Ingalls Elementary cafeteria on Feb. 13.
The $20 million project will include roadway pavement reconstruction, bicycle lanes, sidewalk improvements, new signs, and improved design for traffic flow in order to improve accessibility and safety, the website for the project states. The renovations will be paid for through the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) and is currently funded through 2026. Construction is expected to begin in 2027.
The one-mile stretch of Essex Street has witnessed an “excessive number of crashes,” the website states. Four intersections are listed among the top 200 statewide crash locations collected by MassDOT.
Even on a Sunday, driving down Essex Street feels like playing a game of Asteroids. The roads are bumpy. The street is so narrow in places that cars are forced to park on the sidewalks to make way for two lanes of traffic.
Barbers performing their daily work at D’Clasico II barbershop didn’t express overwhelming concern about the effects of the renovations, though one customer put the problem simply: “The roads are really bad.”
Tra Suos, manager at Sullivan’s Liquors, said he was most concerned about the road along Ingalls Elementary. “There’s trouble down in the other direction by the school,” he said. “There’s nowhere for the kids to cross the street safely.”
At a public information session held last February, residents expressed similar concerns, given the narrowness of the stretch between Fayette Street and Eastern Avenue. Issues were also raised about the placement of proposed bicycle lanes.
But the city said that the Feb. 13 session, the third in its series, will offer a chance for the developers to provide updates on the preliminary designs and for residents to give feedback. The meeting will commence at 6 p.m.
