FITCHBURG — City officials have decided to push construction on the Downtown Transformation Project back to next spring after the early planning stages were delayed due to the pandemic.
The project aims to convert both Main Street and Boulder Drive to two-way streets with the goal of creating a more pedestrian and business friendly downtown.
Executive Director of Community Development Tom Skwierawski said the project was initially slated to begin in the summer of 2020 but delays due to COVID-19 outbreak pushed it back to the spring of 2021.
With the new timeline for the project, officials are eager to get started on a project they’ve been considering since the late 1990s.
“It’s beyond simply hope at this point,” Skwierawski said. “We’ve finally got the funding in place to make it happen, and a great team.”
The project is being funded primarily through two state grants: a $3 million MassWorks grant and a $400,000 Complete Streets grant.
However, there are several costs the city now has to account for in the wake of the pandemic.
To account for some of the unexpected costs, an additional $600,000 was appropriated by the City Council on May 19.
“This appropriation request will fill the gap between these funding sources, allowing for increased contingencies during this uncertain time,” Skwierawski wrote in a letter to Mayor Stephen DiNatale last month.
The money will also help the city account for cost escalations from construction delays and will ensure an optimal outcome on the project, he said.
According to Skwierawski, the appropriation ensures the project has proper funding to be completed efficiently and effectively, and makes up for increased construction costs related to COVID-19.
Comments will be considered as the project progresses from the 25% design phase to 100% design, which is aimed for August.
During an informational meeting back in March, Project Engineer Alex Fagnand said the project will primarily stay within the existing curb lines and modifications be made at intersections.
Sidewalks improvements, which include repairs and ramps, will focus on increasing accessibility and safety.
Cushing Street will likely be closed to vehicles for safety purposes and to allow traffic to function better, Fagnand said.
Fagnand said existing parking spots and loading zones will mostly remain the same and seven spots will be added on Main Street.
There’s also the notable addition of a bike lane on Boulder Drive, which would complement the 4.5 mile Twin City Rail Trail once it’s complete.
According to Skwierawski, some design changes were made following the public comment period which ended last month, including the additional of a loading zone and an area for trash near Cushing Street to assist local businesses.
Skwierawski said previously that the new traffic pattern would create a more efficient distribution of traffic, work better for pedestrians, and for emergency vehicles to get around.
The city made the decision to convert Main Street to two-lane, one-way traffic in the 1960s, a decision Skwierawski says made roadways work better for cars than for people.
Skwierawski said the current layout is inefficient, enables high-speed traffic, which is detrimental to pedestrians, and it means there is only one way in or out of downtown.
The project will also align with several projects slated for downtown, including a $22.5 million Water Street Bridge project that is currently in the design phase with MassDOT.
It also aligns with sewer separation, gas line replacements, and other utility projects happening in the next five years, he said.
“It will complement a number of exciting projects in the pipeline,” he said. “From the Rail Trail and Water Street Bridge rebuild to the Theater Block and a number of small-business openings, finally returning Main Street to an appropriate traffic pattern for a downtown.”