WHATELY — A “long overdue” replacement of the sidewalks on Chestnut Plain Road is underway.
“There’s existing sidewalks now … but they’re severely deteriorated,” said Town Administrator Brian Domina. “I think they’re about 50 years old.”
The work entails the removal of the old sidewalks and the construction of new American with Disabilities Act-compliant sidewalks, as well as four crosswalks, he said.
“One of our hopes is having the crosswalks will help slow down traffic a little bit,” Domina said.
Sidewalks will be installed at several locations across Chestnut Plain Road, including at the intersection with Haydenville Road, according to town officials.
The project, which is being carried out by Taylor Davis Landscape and Construction Co. of Amherst, was made possible by a $209,585 Complete Streets Funding Program grant awarded to Whately in 2019 by the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and a small amount of Chapter 90 funding, which is also provided by the state.
“The Complete Streets was a good opportunity to leverage resources from the state,” Domina said.
He added that the work will be completed concurrently with the resurfacing of Chestnut Plain Road.
“We’re going to be doing some reconfiguring of the parking lot in front of the Whately Inn and adding some installments of street parking in front of the library,” he said. “Things lined up pretty well.”
Domina said roads should remain open throughout sidewalk construction, which he expects to be done before November.