×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

Sidewalk repairs ongoing

By Mathew Plamondon - Staff Writer | Jul 9, 2019

NASHUA – Division of Public Works spokeswoman Lauren Byers said a lack of funding for sidewalk repairs forces officials to be selective, as they can only work with what Mayor Jim Donchess and the Board of Aldermen allocate.

“We can’t do a lot of sidewalks work each year due to time and financing,” Byers said Monday.

“There are a lot of parts of the city that needs sidewalks updates,” she added. “We hope to get to it all at some point, but we can only do so much in a year.”

Despite the budget constraints, members of the public should notice a brand new stretch of sidewalk from Broad Street Elementary School to Denise Street. The project began about a month ago, and has coincided with street paving in the area.

All that remains to be finished is the top coat and some of the pitching where the road and entry ways meet the new infrastructure.

With the addition, sidewalks will now stretch from Titan Way, where Nashua High School North is located, all the way to the Route 3 highway.

“We have a lot of walkers, so it will define the area for pedestrians, having the sidewalk and curbing,” Byers said.

“We’re trying to make the city more walkable and rideable for pedestrians and bicyclists, and this is definitely part of that effort.”

During the last three weeks, city crews worked with contractors to install the new curbing to accompany the repaving of the road. While the sidewalk was not part of the paving contract, the division saw an opportunity to address suggestions that members of the public have been making for some time.

“It wasn’t part of the paving contract, but the roadwork was being done,” Byers said. “We had many requests for a sidewalk there because it is a heavily traveled part of the city.”

“There are two schools on that street and we have a lot of young walkers,” she added. “The roadwork gave us an opportunity to put the curbing in so that we could put in the sidewalk.”

While the city does not have a specific budget for sidewalk installation and maintenance, officials can dip into three separate funding options when addressing certain issues regarding that specific part of the city’s infrastructure. These include the general operating budget, quadrant funds placed by developers allocated for specific sections of the city, or from money transferred to the division by the Mayor’s Office.

Even with those sources, Byers said there still isn’t enough money to address all the issues regarding aging sidewalks and those which have fallen into disrepair.

While the addition of the walkway from the elementary school to Denise Street should soon be finished, Byers said the city has not scheduled any other immediate sidewalk projects.

Mathew Plamondon can be reached at 594-1244, or at mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com, @telegraph_MatP.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *