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Salem Awarded Grants for Street Safety Enhancements

$146,000 to support safety enhancements on North Street and equipment to keep bike lanes safe
Posted on: August 16, 2022 - 1:16pm
north street

MassDOT has awarded the City of Salem a $96,000 Shared Streets and Spaces Grant for implementation of the North Street Safety Enhancement Project as well as a $50,000 Shared Streets and Spaces Grant for equipment to seasonally sweep and plow bicycle lanes in Salem. The grant will fund the installation of new roadway striping, signage, and flex posts to better delineate travel lanes, parking areas, bus stops as well as introduce protected bike lanes. The goal is to reduce unsafe vehicular speeds, improve pedestrian crossings, enhance visibility at intersections and driveways, as well as consolidate and improve access to some of the bus stops serving the North Street corridor.

The project is expected to be implemented in late August/early September from Franklin Street to the Peabody line. Following implementation, Bluebikes bike share stations will be deployed at the intersection with Liberty Hill Avenue and adjacent to the MBTA Commuter Rail Station.

“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,” said Mayor Kim Driscoll. “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 project design is informed by outreach, analysis, and prioritization from several related initiatives, including the Imagine Salem Community Vision, 2018 Bicycle Master Plan, 2019 North Salem Walk Audit, as well as observations from the rollout of pop-up bike lanes in the summer of 2019. The City and Toole Design developed the project through a series of public presentations, an interactive webpage, and outreach to local businesses.

“This project will introduce safety and accessibility improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit users,” said David Kucharsky, the City’s Director of Traffic & Parking. “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.”

Project plans and other documents are available online at publicinput.com/northstreet. For Bluebikes locations and membership options, see bluebikes.com. Please contact trafficcalming@salem.com with questions or comments.