Salem To Use $700K In Grants On Street Safety Improvements

SALEM, MA — The use of data to determine traffic improvement strategies was a major talking point — and one of the few points of contention — in the recent mayoral special election race in Salem.

While Dominick Pangallo, the eventual winner, often cited studies, statistics and focus groups as the driving force behind plans for traffic-calming measures and road work, former Mayor Neil Harrington said he was more inclined to rely on the anecdotal evidence of how residents feel about the relative safety of driving down and walking across the Witch City streets.

Six months following his victory, Pangallo is now looking to put some of his data-driven solutions, with the help of public input, into action with the help of $700,000 in state and federal infrastructure grants.

In conjunction with World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims next weekend, Pangallo's office on Thursday announced several projects aimed at making trouble spots in the city safer.

In the past year, four Salem residents have died from traffic crashes, and numerous more residents have sustained injuries because of crashes, including several serious, debilitating injuries.

"The loss and pain that too many have experienced as a result of traffic crashes is profound," Pangallo said. "Each and every death caused by a crash results in a lifetime of heartbreak for the family, friends, neighbors, colleagues, teachers, and classmates of the victim, whether they were in a car, walking, or riding a bicycle.

"The emotional toll on our first responders is also especially impactful and I am grateful to those who serve in those roles for their professionalism and compassion when these tragedies occur. I invite the Salem community to join with me in remembrance of all local victims of roadway violence. Together, we can commit to making safe decisions while driving and to improving the safety of Salem’s roadways."

Plans include the use of $200,000 in federal Infrastructure Bill funding to develop a strategic action plan to address roadway safety in the city, including technical and policy analysis, and multiple public engagement and collaboration opportunities.

Pangallo said that the overall strategic plan will augment the existing projects that include work on the intersection at Jefferson and Willson Street, where 26 crashes were reported over the last five years, including a fatal pedestrian strike in April.

Construction, which is set to begin in 2024, includes a traffic signal as well as ADA-compliant pedestrian ramps, crosswalks and sidewalks.

He said the city is also finalizing the redesign of the Fort Avenue intersection at Winter Island Road, Columbus Avenue and Columbus Square. That project will include traffic-calming elements, raised crosswalks and pedestrian-activated signals. Construction on that project is set to begin this winter.

There is a sidewalk expansion planned for Derby Street, intersection improvements at the Daniels Street intersection and a raised crosswalk at the Custom House. The raised crosswalk is expected to be installed early next year.

The city is also launching a sidewalk review and repair project that will use sidewalk repair requests from SeeClickFix and Salem 311 to target areas in need of fixing, with work set to begin this spring.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)