Bike Lanes, Wider Sidewalks Coming to Haverhill’s Winter St.; Methuen, Groveland Get Help Too

Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito during a recent visit to Haverhill. (WHAV News photograph.)

New bike lanes, “street furniture,” landscaping and widened sidewalks are coming to a portion of Haverhill’s Winter Street.

Haverhill received $49,000 from the state’s Shared Streets and Spaces Grant Program to install streetscape and safety improvements on the street which also shares the state’s Route 97 designation. Methuen and Groveland also received awards from Wednesday’s distribution of $6.5 million in grants across the state. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Acting Transportation Secretary and CEO Jamey Tesler and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver announced the grants in Dedham.

“Community leaders know each street corner and know each block of their business districts and have been very innovative in thinking about projects and thoughtfully applying for this funding,” Polito said. The grants help communities conceive, design and implement changes to curbs, streets, plazas, and parking areas.

Methuen received $83,194 to install safety elements, including a narrowed travel lane, better curb ramps, a new midblock crosswalk and pedestrian safety beacons in the Orchard Street corridor. Groveland received $59,452 to construct new and safer sidewalks and crosswalks in Elm Square and surrounding neighborhoods.

For this round of awards, the state received 94 applications, of which, all but four were eligible.  This is the largest applicant pool received in a single round to date. Officials said 51% of grants went to designated Environmental Justice Communities.

Tesler said, “Projects like these can really have a major impact for daily life, safety and accessibility in a community—making a difference in a family’s choice to go out on the town, and a local restaurant owners’ ability to keep their staff employed and busy.”

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