Norwood Awarded $120K Grant From Shared Streets & Spaces Program

NORWOOD, MA — Norwood was awarded a $120,000 grant to help free up sidewalk space for outdoor dining, among other things. The grant is part of the Massachusetts Department of Transportation's Shared Streets & Spaces Program.

The grant money will fund the establishment of four ‘parklets’ throughout the downtown and Washington Street commercial corridor in order to create a sense of place, including additional pedestrian walking space and room for safe outdoor dining and recreation.

The program, which launched in June, provides technical and funding assistance to help Massachusetts cities and towns conceive, design and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lots in support of public health, safe mobility, and renewed commerce in their communities.

The program is modeled after the Administration's Complete Streets Funding Program, created in February 2016, which, as of January 2020, had awarded a total $46 million to cities and towns for municipal projects improving infrastructure to improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and public transportation customers.