NEW HAVEN — Motorists in New Haven can expect to put on the brakes when they head through the heart of the village for the next few weeks as work begins on 830 feet of the town’s first sidewalk.
Kennedy Construction of North Ferrisburgh is expected to break ground next week on the project, which will slightly enlarge the village green, install sidewalks along the green and North Street to Beeman Elementary School, and construct a safer crosswalk across Route 17 in New Haven.
The project is being funded by a $236,900 grant from the state, of which the town pays 10 percent, as well as a $42,800 federal “Safe Routes to School” grant.
During construction, the “slip lane” on Town Hill Road near the green will be permanently closed, town clerk Pam Kingman said, and traffic will be rerouted on South Street.
“Everybody’s just going to have to be extremely careful and aware of what’s going on around them,” Kingman said.
Safety is the goal for the project. South Burlington-based Summit Engineering owner Doug Weber, who designed the project, said the town wanted to find a safe way for pedestrians and particularly school children to cross the increasingly busy Route 17.
The project has been in the works since the town conducted a feasibility study in 2003, and went out to bid in March. Kingman said work is set to be completed by July 31.
Reporter Kathryn Flagg is at [email protected].