Main Street Project
The Town of Andover has been anticipating a reconstruction project for downtown Andover for some time. The issues downtown include inefficient traffic flow, haphazard crosswalk locations, poor handicap accessibility, deteriorated sidewalks, substandard drainage, and insufficient streetscape amenities.
The Main Street Committee, comprised of ten residents including business owners, reviewed the project and outlined the benefits of the project:
- Downtown will be easier to navigate for pedestrians of all ages and abilities;
- The crosswalks will provide visible and safer places for people to cross the street, especially at Elm Square;
- The signals will be synchronized to move traffic safely and efficiently through downtown;
- The signals will have walk buttons and audio signals;
- There will be new trees, park benches for seating, and attractive historic lighting in scale to the buildings; and
- The downtown will be attractive to patrons and provide for a comfortable and enjoyable shopping experience.
In 2006 funding was secured by Massachusetts Highway Department, and the construction contract was awarded in July 2007.