By Adam Swift
A federal grant could help the city make the Routes 1A and 60 highway corridors safer for pedestrians, motorists, and bicyclists.
Last week, the city council approved a letter of support for a grant application through the Department of Planning and Community Development for federal funding through the US Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program.
“We are applying for a planning grant to study the ways in which we can improve Route 1A and Route 60 from Revere Street and North Shore Road all the way up to Bell Circle,” said Julie DeMauro of the planning and community development department. “This is going to look at the environmental impacts, road calming measures, and making the roads safer for not only vehicles, but also pedestrians and cyclists.”
DeMauro noted that the corridor is especially hazardous for many students and young people who try to cross from one side of the highways to the other. The planning would look at the options for better and safer connections and walkways.
She said Routes 1A and 60 highway corridors currently separate many of the city’s neighborhoods from each other, transit, employment and educational opportunities, goods and civic services.
The planning will look at not only how to connect those roadways and make them safer for the proposed new high school at the Wonderland property, but also how they would connect to a potential new commuter rail station at Wonderland.
DeMauro noted that MassDOT is currently preparing to launch a feasibility study that could get underway in the next several months for the potential Wonderland commuter rail station.
If the city is awarded the RAISE grant, DeMauro said the work would likely get underway next January and would be about an 18-month planning process with a lot of community engagement.
“Right now, the ask is $1.8 million for the planning grant,” she said.
