EASTHAMPTON — The city is looking to borrow $450,000 to pay for a redesign geared at making Union Street safer and more efficient.
The funding is available through the state’s Complete Streets Funding Program, launched in 2016 for municipal projects that make streets safer and more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists, according to MassDOT. The city would use the money to address overall design issues, like traffic flow, signs and street-level aesthetics.
The finance subcommittee of the City Council will take up the issue on Wednesday.
According to the city, the $450,000 appropriation would pay for the costs of street design of Union Street, including the costs of engineering and design, constructing sidewalks, curb cuts, bike paths and landscaping.
If Easthampton is approved to the program, MassDOT would fund and implement the project, according to Mayor Karen Cadieux.
But the idea to revitalize the street is still in the early stages. Once funding for design is approved, the city will start the design process and outreach to MassDOT.
Beginning stages of the improvement of Union Street began in 2013 with a study conducted by the Cecil Group through a grant from the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative. The study included public meetings and workshops that discussed key problems with the streetscape as well as design suggestions proposed by the group.
The report by the Cecil Group states “the current streetscape conditions do not act as a strong connection because of the existence of vacant buildings, fragmented streetscape accessibility and an emphasis of vehicular circulation within public and private property.”
The study noted features of Union Street that need to be changed, including empty or rundown buildings, excessive traffic, improvements in signage and overall aesthetics of the corridor.
City Planner Jessica Allan said the intersection of Union Street, Liberty Street and the Manhan Rail Trail is a problem area with a high crash rate.
Allan said the project could bring “huge economic development” to the neighborhood and feet on the street helps businesses thrive.
If City Council moves forward with borrowing funds to pay for street design, Allan said, the city will hold public meetings to involve residents and business owners in the design process.
In May, Cadieux established a “Complete Streets” administrative policy, a preliminary requirement for the MassDOT program, expressing the vision and intent of the city as well as performance measures and implementation.
Performance measures, according to the policy, may include crash and personal injury data, citations for traffic violations and public participation in bicycle, pedestrian and transit systems.
“Complete Streets principals contribute toward the safety, health, economic viability, equity and quality of life in a community by providing accessible and efficient connections between home, schools, work, recreation and retail destinations,” the city’s policy states.
Caitlin Ashworth can be reached at cashworth@gazettenet.com.