Shared Streets & Spaces: 2020 Round 1 project narratives

The Shared Streets and Spaces Program provides technical assistance and project funding to help Massachusetts cities and towns design and implement changes to curbs, streets, and parking areas in support of public health, safe mobility, and community growth and revitalization.

• Billerica received $7,000 to purchase four large tents for outdoor dining.  The tents will be placed in parking lots and on sidewalks and will be loaned by the Town to local restaurants.  The tents will help to separate the public space from dining space and will protect customers from inclement weather. Over the long term, the tents will be used by the Billerica Library, Council on Aging, and local schools.
• Orange received $9,700.77 to purchase three outdoor dining tables, two ADA-compliant tables, five planters and flowers, three sets of umbrellas and stands, and garbage and recycling bins. These will be installed within an existing parking lot, which is centrally located to three local restaurants. Over the long term, the furniture will be permanently used on a raised deck in an adjacent, municipally owned, vacant parcel (seasonally).
• Easthampton received $160,000 to construct a new sidewalk, ADA-compliant crosswalks, sidewalk bumpouts, flashing pedestrian-safety beacons, a temporary separated bike lane, and a permanent paved bicycle/pedestrian connection.
• Salem received $81,500 to expand the pedestrian, dining, and shopping space along Essex Street from Hawthorne Boulevard to New Liberty Street using a quick-build elevated wooden platform along the southern sidewalk. The space will be defined and protected from vehicular traffic with posts, rope, jersey barriers, and concrete planters. Parking will be prohibited along the block.
• Lee received $15,000 to repave a sidewalk and install ADA-compliant curb ramps in a school zone and proximate to an elderly housing complex.
• Medford received $15,000 to improve pedestrian access to the Columbus Elementary School with a quick-launch project, including pavement markings, cones, and flex posts, at three intersections.  Space is being reallocated from travel lanes and parking lanes.