Lewis and Day Applaud $379,084 Grant For Stoneham

BOSTON — Senator Jason Lewis and Representative Michael Day, Stoneham’s legislative delegation in the Massachusetts State House, announced that the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will award the Town of Stoneham a $379,084 grant under the Complete Streets program. The Administration awards Complete Streets grants to Massachusetts towns and cities to fund local, multimodal infrastructure projects that improve accessibility for bicyclists, pedestrians, public transit users, and people using other forms of transportation.

Stoneham is slated to receive $379,084 for safety improvements to the Pleasant and Williams Street and Pleasant and Spring Street intersections. Additionally, funds will be used to make pedestrian safety improvements on Central Street and for the installation of a bicycle rack at the town common.

“Investments in Complete Streets make the roads safer and more useful for pedestrians, drivers, and all members of a community, and moreover, promote economic development in our increasingly vital downtown districts by improving accessibility and convenience” said Senator Jason Lewis. “I’m very pleased that Stoneham continues to work closely with the Commonwealth to improve safety and infrastructure.

“I am very happy to see Stoneham’s work rewarded with a Complete Streets grant that will improve safety and mobility for our residents,” said Representative Michael Day. “While I was dismayed that we missed out on at least one cycle of funding under this program in the past, I applaud the work of Town Planner Erin Wortman, Town Administrator Tom Younger and especially Select Board Chair Anthony Wilson for their commitment to being full participants in this round. I also thank Governor Baker’s Administration for recognizing the importance and value of this program and for accepting Stoneham’s application.”

A “Complete Street” is one that provides safe and accessible options for all travel modes and for all people, taking into account the ages and abilities of individuals. The Complete Streets Funding Program was launched on February 1, 2016, as a result of legislation originally filed by Senator Jason Lewis when he was a member of the House of Representatives. To date, 161 municipalities have approved policies and 111 have approved Prioritization Plans. Examples of projects that can be addressed through the program include improved street lighting, radar speed signage, intersection signalization, new multimodal paths and new signals at crosswalks.