Number of crosswalks on Burnett Road questioned
Date: 9/7/2010
Sept. 8, 2010By G. Michael Dobbs
Managing Editor
CHICOPEE -- Mayor Michael Bissonnette has addressed concerns over a decrease in the number of sidewalks on Burnett Road with a letter to residents on Aug. 26.
Before the recent resurfacing of the busy road, there were nine sidewalks and many have been eliminated.
Because the resurfacing was funded by federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act monies administered by the state, the crosswalks had to meet both state and federal standards, he explained.
Bissonnette explained to Reminder Publications that before the recent resurfacing of the busy road, there were sidewalks that had been installed over the years that were not either well planned or compliant to regulations regarding handicapped access.
He said some of the sidewalks had been put in "without rhyme or reason." He noted one that led to Chicopee State Park didn't even lead to a sidewalk.
There was also an issue with driving safety as some of the crosswalks were positioned near or on curves.
There is now a sidewalk at Williams Park and another near Olko Circle. There is a new crosswalk under construction near Loomis Drive.
The city plans to install a new sidewalk from Lafond Drive to Basil Drive to improve the two neighborhoods and improve access to Williams Park.
"The safety and well-being of our residents is the first priority. Safety has to take priority over convenience when it comes to our streets. While we appreciate that these changes caused initial concern and worry, we truly hope that we have addressed the reason for these important safety changes and minimized the disruption as much as permitted under the state regulations," he wrote in the letter.
