Governor Charlie Baker’s office announced the newest round of Shared Streets & Spaces funding provides $3.9 million to 39 municipalities across Massachusetts, including three in Worcester County.
This round of funding increases the program total awarded to $7.7 million for 91 projects in 78 municipalities.
Funding in to municipalities in Worcester County in this round of funding include:
- Fitchburg – $53,295.45 to implement a multi-element project including re-imagining Commercial Street as a pedestrian-only street, replacing on-street parking with traffic calming measures, establishing formal loading zones, restoring crosswalks, and making existing crosswalk ramps ADA-accessible.
- Gardner – $47,999 to create outdoor dining opportunities in two downtown locations. These areas will also serve as waiting areas for customers of barbers, and hair and nail salons.
- Leicester – $20,000Â to fund 12 new benches and six new solar-powered flashing signs to slow traffic and ensure safety for pedestrians at three crosswalks located near the Town Common, Becker College, and Leicester Middle School.
The Shared Streets & Spaces program  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.
The quick-build grant program provides grants as small as $5,000 and as large as $300,000 for municipalities to quickly launch changes to sidewalks, curbs, streets, on-street parking spaces and off-street parking lots in support of public health, safe mobility – including safe walking and biking to schools – and renewed commerce.
