Ledyard to apply for grant to add sidewalks, bike lanes
Ledyard — The town's Finance Committee on Wednesday night gave its approval for town officials to apply for a grant that would allow for sidewalks and bike lanes to be added to a stretch of Colonel Ledyard Highway between the high school and Ledyard Center.
Brought to the attention of the town by Public Works Director Steve Masalin, the grant would allow the town to resurface and widen a few stretches of the road where necessary to build out the bike lanes and sidewalks along the roughly mile-long stretch.
A good deal of resurfacing eventually will need to be done along the road anyway, Masalin said. This project would both accomplish the resurfacing and potentially be a first step to upgrading Colonel Ledyard Highway to the Groton town line.
Funding for the project would be provided through a transit-oriented development grant from the state government, administered through the state Office of Policy and Management, if the town's application is approved. Grants such as these attempt to maximize access to public transportation — in this case connecting major municipal buildings, neighborhoods and businesses with existing pedestrian sidewalks in Ledyard Center.
A feasibility study was drawn up by architecture firm Kent + Frost and shows sidewalks connecting to Ledyard Center through Ray Holdridge Circle. The total cost of this first phase would be $1.06 million, and the town plans to apply for a grant of that amount by Friday.
There is an optional "voluntary match" with this grant, which Masalin said could be met by showing the state the existing resurfacing work that already has been done on the road, and therefore no local money would be needed.
Councilors pointed out that as it stands, Colonel Ledyard Highway is not pedestrian- or cyclist-friendly. A bridge over a stream near the high school means that pedestrians are "hemmed in by guardrails on both sides," said Finance Committee Chairman William Saums, and they would have to jump over the side to avoid an errant vehicle.
"A number of kids go between the high school and Blonders (Boulevard) and Ledyard Center," Mayor Fred Allyn III said. "In terms of providing people an alternative transportation solution, this was a really great stretch to do it."
Every year, he said, the subject of adding sidewalks comes up when Ledyard High School sophomores choose an issue in the community to tackle through their "Civics In Action" projects. Just today, Masalin said, he saw a student who had supported sidewalks in town walking along a dangerous stretch of Colonel Ledyard Highway that has no sidewalks.
"I have to explain the process, the difficulty, the cost and the logistics" during those project meetings, he said. "This, therefore, will be very well-received by a big segment of the community."
Masalin estimated that in the very long term, upgrading the entire road to the town line with Groton would cost about $4 million.
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