MELROSE — Last week, Healey-Driscoll Administration officials announced the City of Melrose will receive a $450,803 Complete Streets grant award for the construction of a new five foot wide asphalt sidewalk on one side of Swains Pond Ave. The addition of this sidewalk which will close an existing sidewalk gap will span from the intersection with Penney/Dexter Rd. to the intersection with Beech St. The project includes ADA-compliant accessible curb ramps and crosswalks.
In spring 2024, the Melrose Department of Public Works, Engineering Division applied for a Complete Streets grant to build the Swains Pond Ave. sidewalk addition. Closing the sidewalk network gaps in this neighborhood will provide residents better access to schools, MBTA buses, conservation land, walking trails, waterways and other neighborhood destinations.
“Closing sidewalk gaps on Swains Pond Ave. addresses long-standing requests by residents to improve walkability on this narrow and winding road,” said Mayor Jen Grigoraitis. “Our community is grateful for this continued partnership with the Healey-Driscoll Administration and MassDOT which enables our community to pursue important capital improvement opportunities like this project.”
Sidewalk construction on Swains Pond Ave. funded by this Complete Streets grant is expected to take place during the 2025 construction season. The Melrose Department of Public Works will engage with project abutters to mitigate any construction impacts on the neighborhood.
“I’m thrilled to see Melrose receiving this substantial state grant to make this important project possible,” said State Senator Jason Lewis. “I’m proud to have championed the legislation that originally created the state’s Complete Streets program and I’ve continued advocating in the legislature to maintain and grow the funding for this program.”
“I am thrilled to see Melrose receive this grant to address safety concerns on Swann Pond Ave.,” said State Representative Kate Lipper-Garabedian. “When I served on City Council, I also was a member of the Complete Streets Working Group so I am especially mindful of the importance of such funding to ensure our community is safe and accessible to drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.”
The Melrose Complete Streets program started in 2016 with the approval of the City’s first Complete Streets policy. In 2017, following extensive public participation, the Complete Streets Working Group completed a Prioritization Plan which identifies desired projects around the community to benefit all road users, emphasizing pedestrians, cyclists, accessibility and transit use. Projects on the Prioritization Plan list are eligible for construction grants from the MassDOT Complete Streets grant program. The City is permitted to apply for these construction grants once every four years.
Past projects that utilized Complete Streets funding in Melrose include Hoover School neighborhood sidewalks, curbing and crosswalks; Melrose and Crystal Sts. Safe Routes to Schools improvements; the north-south bike routes; and the Howard St. reconfiguration at Green, Elm and Clifford Sts.
About Complete Streets: A Complete Street enables safe, convenient and comfortable travel for users of all ages and abilities regardless of their mode of transportation. Administered by MassDOT, the Complete Streets Funding Program aims to teach communities about Complete Streets and encourage the integration of Complete Streets into regular local planning practices.
The MassDOT Complete Streets Funding Program was launched in 2016 and provides technical assistance and construction funding to eligible municipalities to plan and implement Complete Streets. Prior to the latest round of grant awards, the Complete Streets Funding Program has awarded 278 construction project grants across the Commonwealth, totaling over $100 million.
Complete Streets is funded by budget allocations from the Massachusetts Legislature and was established by legislation originally sponsored by Senator Lewis during his tenure in the House of Representatives.
