Published in the October 1, 2018 edition.

By MARK SARDELLA

WAKEFIELD — The town will ask voters at the Nov. 5 Regular Town Meeting to fund Phase 1 of a two-phase design process that is expected to result in a total of $11 million worth of upgrades and improvements in the downtown corridor.

The November Town Meeting article will ask voters to appropriate $331,500 to fund Phase 1 of a $1 million design program. It is expected that the $10 million construction portion of this project would be funded through the state’s Transportation Improvement Program (TIP).

DPW Director Richard Stinson appeared before the Town Council on Thursday to present the request for a Town Meeting article to fund engineering and design fees under Phase 1.

He explained that the goal of the project is to make improvements to the downtown right-of-way corridor, which includes: Main Street from Church Street to Nahant Street, Common Street from Church Street to Main Street, Albion Street from Main Street to Tuttle Street, Water Street from Main Street to Vernon Street and related areas.

Those improvements would address pedestrian access, walkability, bicycle access and circulation, parking, traffic flow, traffic control and signals, streetscape, safety, crosswalk passage and improvements necessary to comply with regulations that impact this project.

The first phase of the design will develop the goals and concepts for the downtown corridor, Stinson explained. Some of the work components of Phase 1 include: traffic data collection, survey, road safety audit, analysis, public outreach, stakeholder meetings, site walk, planning, concept development and partial design, renderings and 3D simulation video, mobility analysis, streetscape design and refreshing, and related items for the downtown corridor right-of-way.

Stinson stressed that the process would include a number of public meetings and walk-throughs of the downtown. He said the design phase would include a detailed study of the existing infrastructure and what would fit there.

Town Administrator Stephen P. Maio said that the purpose of the design phase is to “allow us to go to the state and show that we have a plan.” There is no pre-conceived plan for the improvements, Maio said.

If Town Meeting approves the funding, the first part of the design phase would begin immediately with an estimated completion date of April 2019.

Town Councilor Edward Dombroski called the $1 million design leading to $10 million in state-funded construction “an investment with a very strong return.”