Town lands $500K grant

Portland works to improve sidewalks in underserved area

PORTLAND — The town has received a state grant to extend sidewalks to link into the Chatham Court housing complex.

The $525,775 grant is part of a $5 million state program that aims to “improve safety and accessibility for bicyclists and pedestrians” but also to reach out to “underserved communities.”

“I am very pleased,” First Selectwoman Susan S. Bransfield said Tuesday about the grant award.

“The goal is to improve transportation equity,” Bransfield said, which, in this case, would be achieved “by building new sidewalks in densely-populated underserved areas.”

In 2018, the town had embarked on a sidewalk improvement program in the area centered in and around Town Hall.

The grant will allow the town “fill-in some gaps” by extending existing sidewalks east along Freestone Avenue, then south on High Street and across Marlborough Street/Route 66 by the Depot, Bransfield said.

New sidewalks will be installed on a portion of Airline Avenue to Riverside Street and then on Riverside into Chatham Court.

In all, the town will install 9,883 square feet of new sidewalk, Bransfield said.

Chatham Court is a housing complex dating from 1975.

It is made up of five buildings that together contain 48 two, three and four-bedroom apartments.

As part of the project, the town will build a bus shelter at the intersection of Freestone and High streets.

The shelter will be adjacent to the Middlesex Health Family Medicine facility located at 13 High St.

Bransfield said it is too early to say if the work can begin in this calendar year.

There are any number of applications that must be made to the state Department of Transportation before the town can begin the bidding process to choose a contractor.

But Bransfield commended the DOT.

“This is a really well designated program, one that clearly articulated what the goals were,” she said.

Further, she said, “This was a program that fit our needs perfectly.”

The grant application was entitled “Fill-in-theGaps to Route 17/66; Safe Sidewalks to Schools, Businesses & Transit Routes.”

Bransfield was the author of the application.

She praised and thanked the engineering firm of Nathan L. Jacobson & Associates,

Director of Finance Tom E. Robinson, and Economic Development Planner Mary D. Dickerson, who cooperated with her in preparing the 60-plus page grant application.

Portland was one of 10 towns that received grants under the Climate Initiative Program.

Among the other towns that received grants were New Britain and Old Saybrook.

Contributed photo An image from the Portland “Fill-in-the-Gaps to Route 17/66; Safe Sidewalks to Schools, Businesses & Transit Routes.” Airline Avenue is targeted for a sidewalk.