Price Tag Given for Raised Crosswalks on Chestnut St. in North Reading

Due to a traffic problem, residents on Chestnut and New streets submitted a  in July 2010, and the Board of Selectmen are still deliberating on what they should do to solve the issue.

that Chief of Mike Murphy and residents support. (DPW) Director Dick Carnevale provided quotes for the crosswalks to the board on Monday night.

According to his quote, the total cost for the crosswalks would be $20,450. That cost includes $15,000 for contract labor, equipment and materials; $2,250 for 15 warning signs; $500 for paint lines; and $2,400 for 48 hours of police detail. This cost would allow the road to remain open. Work would be done on one side, and when that is completed, work will be done on the other side. 

There is an alternate price of $3,000 per raised crosswalk, however Chestnut Street would have to closed for several days.

The cost for the crosswalks was larger than anticipated, but is not much compared to the cost of $766,000 that will go to four road projects this year on a part of Country Club Road, a portion of Central Street, Tower Hill Road and School Hill Lane. 

Despite of the quotes provided, the board has yet to make a final decision. Selectman Mike Prisco suggested that the DPW get more than one quote for the costs.

”If we are going to do this, let's do it right,” Priso said. He would like Carnevale to create a formal request for proposals and get at least three quotes for the cost. 

Besides the additional quotes, the board will also need answers to other questions that remain unanswered. Residents originally wanted to use the truck exclusion as a backup plan if the raised crosswalks did not work. However, it is unknown whether or not the traffic study will be valid after the crosswalks are installed. How long the traffic study is valid is also unknown.

Members of the board would like to come to a conclusion on this, however do not have all of the information needed to make a final and informed decision. They hope to have all of the information necessary to make a decision at their next meeting in May.