New Plan For Shrewsbury Town Center Aims To Boost Safety, Commerce

SHREWSBURY, MA — Shrewsbury has kicked off a study of the town's downtown area along Main Street, a project that could lead to future upgrades for pedestrians, bicyclists and new businesses.

The Shrewsbury Town Center Multimodal Study will focus on the area around the intersection of Main Street and Route 140. The results will be used to build a 10-year plan to "create a safe and balanced multimodal transportation system that enhances the town center as a community to visit and play," the town said in a news release.

The study began in mid-January, when the town started measuring traffic moving through the core of the study area.

"This is an opportunity to implement changes that will enhance safety, improve walkability, increase commerce, and improve economic development for generations to come," Town Manager said Kevin Mizikar.

As the study moves forward, the town will continue to collect data on how the town center corridor is used, and will seek feedback from the public.

The town center area will soon be home to a new mixed-use development. One year ago, the town finalized an agreement with a developer to build a 55-unit mixed-use project at the former Beal School site.

The Shrewsbury Town Center study will be conducted by Kimley-Horn along with Toole Design and Marlborough-based Capital Strategic Solutions.