Lynnfield Awarded $383,555 In Complete Streets Funding

A release from the office of State Representative Brad Jones and State Senator Brendan Crighton:

BOSTON – House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) and Senator Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) joined with the Baker-Polito Administration this week to announce that Lynnfield has been awarded $383,555 in state funding for pedestrian safety upgrades at three local schools as part of the Complete Streets Program.

Lynnfield is one of 18 communities sharing in a total of $5.1 million in grants. The funding, which is awarded to communities on a reimbursement basis similar to the Chapter 90 program, will help pay for a series of pedestrian access and safety improvements on the streets surrounding the Lynnfield Middle School, Summer Street School, and Huckleberry Hill Elementary School.

The planned improvements include the placement of radar signs that will display how fast passing cars are travelling in an attempt to control driver behavior and reduce speeds near the three schools. Town officials also plan to use the money to:

• tighten intersections;
• modify and paint crosswalks;
• install pedestrian signals;
• provide crossing islands; and
• improve signage and pavement markings.

“All students deserve a safe learning environment, but it’s equally important that we extend those protections beyond the classroom and do everything we can to ensure that students have safe passage walking to and from school,” said Representative Jones. “Thanks to the Complete Streets program, Lynnfield will be able to implement critical improvements to help make the roads around its schools safer for everyone.”

“The well-being of our students must always be a top priority and I’m very pleased that through this grant Lynnfield can continue to improve access and safety for our schools,” said Senator Crighton.

Established by the Baker-Polito Administration in February of 2016, the Complete Streets Funding Program supports municipal projects which are designed to improve safety and accessibility along local roadways for individuals using all modes of transportation, including walking, bicycling or driving. The program is administered through the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, and over the last 3 ½ years has awarded 124 construction grants to communities across the state totaling $38 million.