The Town of Dighton will install crosswalks and two ADA-compliant curb ramps at Center Street near the Berkley-Dighton Bridge next to the Bristol County Agricultural High School. (Photo courtesy Town of Dighton) 
At the intersection between Lincoln Avenue and Spring Street, the town will install curb ramps, a crosswalk and a warning panel. (Photo courtesy Town of Dighton)
DIGHTON — The Town of Dighton is pleased to announce that the community has been awarded a grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation to help improve roadway and sidewalk accessibility in various areas throughout town.
The $118,838.50 MassDOT Shared Streets and Spaces grant will be used to fund ADA-compliant curb ramps and curb cuts, accessible sidewalks for wheelchairs and clearly delineated crosswalks for pedestrian use throughout town as part of a Safe Streets and Paths project.
“This grant will go a long way in helping to remove accessibility barriers in all corners of our community,” Town Administrator Michael Mullen said. “I’d like to thank MassDOT, Rep. Pat Haddad and Sen. Marc Pacheco for their partnership in making this funding a priority. I would also like to thank Selectman Brett Zografos, Highway Superintendent Tom Ferry and ADA Coordinator Jonathan Gale for all their efforts and assistance to advance pedestrian-friendly roadways throughout Dighton.”
Addressing accessibility barriers throughout the Dighton community is an ongoing priority for the Board of Selectmen, the Dighton Commission on Disability and Dighton Highway Department. Together with residents, the Town has been working to identify streets, sidewalks and intersections in Dighton with accessibility barriers in an effort to better-enable all residents safe access to Dighton’s many public access resources.
The Safe Streets and Paths project will address several critical, currently inaccessible pedestrian locations that provide access to a public transit bus stop, the town’s public housing authority, a local convenience store, banking facilities, a playground, an open space/recreation area and two commercial properties.
Infrastructure improvements as part of the Safe Streets and Paths project will include two ADA-compliant curb ramps and cuts to be installed at the following locations: Main Street and Elm Street, Warner Boulevard and Spring Street, School Street and Lincoln Avenue, Lincoln Avenue by Johnny’s Market, Summer Street and Spring Street, sidewalk across Bow Street, and Spring Street and Winter Street.
Crosswalks and two ADA-compliant curb ramps will also be installed at Center Street near the Berkley-Dighton Bridge next to the Bristol County Agricultural High School, Main Street near the Dighton Public Library (395 Main St.), Lincoln Avenue at the Lincoln Village Senior Housing (300 Lincoln Ave.), and at the intersection between Lincoln Avenue and Spring Street.
The Shared Streets and Spaces program provides technical and funding assistance to help cities and towns conceive, design, and implement tactical changes to curbs, streets, and parking areas in support of public health, safe mobility and renewed commerce.
Information about the Shared Streets and Spaces Municipal Grant Program can be found here.
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