Stonington ― After decades of residents calling for the town to build sidewalks along Route 1 to the downtown and obtaining $600,000 in state funding, Pawcatuck is about to become more pedestrian friendly, and safer.

“It was the work of a lot of different people that got us this grant from the state, which then enabled us to go to the Board of Finance and the taxpayers to get the rest of the money,” said First Selectman Danielle Chesebrough.

Construction is scheduled to begin on June 19, on a the $1.38 million project which will link Spellman Drive with Mayflower Avenue.

Olmstead Contracting, LLC of Wolcott was awarded the contract in February, and construction is anticipated to be completed in four months.

The sidewalk will be almost complete on the south side of the road, and portions of the sidewalks will be filled in between the police department driveway and the Pawcatuck Shopping Center along the north side .

Because much of the sidewalk runs through private property, the town had to negotiate with property owners for easements.

Chesebrough said that negotiations were handled by Economic and Community Development Director Susan Cullen, and, of the 28 property owners along the route, only one refused to grant the town an easement.

“We thought it was best to go with the friendly route of asking people to do their neighborly, community duty and allow for this to happen with the understanding we would do our best to keep their property intact,” said Chesebrough.

In addition to the area where the town could not secure an easement, the sidewalk will not be completed in a few other areas including a stretch near Brookside Village, which will be completed by private property owners at a later date, and a section across from the Stop & Shop which was determined to be impossible to install a sidewalk.

“It is a huge moment and a big deal, and I just want to be sure that we’re not stopping here,” she said.

Chesebrough said the town is pursuing further avenues to create a safe community for cyclists and pedestrians. This includes Americans with Disabilities Act improvements to sidewalk ramps made possible with a $230,000 state grant, improving pedestrian and bicycle safety, seeking grants to fund the design and engineering of bike paths and deploying portable cross walk signs which can be moved around town.

“We’ll start putting those out for the weekends in both downtown Pawcatuck and on Route 27 in Mystic and some parts of downtown Mystic—just to make people more aware of the crosswalks,” she said.

Chesebrough has also requested the state Department of Transportation conduct a safety audit along Route 1. The audit makes short term, inexpensive recommendations that can be implemented immediately to improve safety and also looks at long-term solutions.

Additionally, a new Plan of Conservation and Development Implementation Committee subcommittee will focus on improving the town’s Complete Streets policy.

A Complete Streets policy ensures that streets are safe and accessible for everyone, including cyclists and pedestrians through improved designs intended to reduce accidents and encourage physical activity through the promotion of eco-friendly and sustainable modes of transportation.