CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) – Chicopee will continue its work to improve pedestrian safety, accepting state funding for infrastructure improvements.
State Senator Jake Oliveira and the Chicopee Legislative Delegation from the State House will present a ceremonial check for $50,000 on Monday to continue making roads and sidewalks safer for pedestrians.
The funding comes from the fiscal year 2024 budget, as cities and towns across the state continue to respond to rising traffic crashes and pedestrian deaths. The City of Chicopee alone saw five pedestrians killed in car crashes in 2022, representing a huge spike over recent years, prompting action at the municipal level, with the installation of flashing beacons on a number of mid-block pedestrian crossings around town.
This grant money will be used to install more, as well as procure solar-power speed indicators, which are proven to slow cars down, and additional signage for pedestrian crossings and intersection crosswalks.
The city has a few corridors that are more dangerous than others, often places where a high volume of cars are traveling at high speeds.
The Memorial Drive corridor between Granby Road and the Mass Pike has the highest volume of crashes in town according to data from MassDOT. The worst spot for pedestrians is along the Deady Memorial Bridge in Chicopee Falls, the site of 11 pedestrian crashes between 2011 and 2020.
The funding will be formally presented in a ceremony at city hall Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
Duncan MacLean is a reporter who has been a part of the 22News team since 2019. Follow Duncan on X @DMacLeanWWLP and view his bio to see more of his work.
