The sidewalks will make it safer for children to walk to school.
Berlin Borough Council has locked in the third phase of the safe pathway to school project that started a couple months ago. The third phase is to put sidewalks down Clementon Road starting at the intersection of Clementon Road and Franklin Street. The intersection is heavily traveled and considered a critical area since many accidents have taken place there, according to Councilman Dan MacDonnell.
The first phase was to re-time the traffic light, and the second was to change the road from four-lanes to two. When the road was changed from four lanes to two, the borough added bike lanes on both sides of the road.
“Since the completion of the first two phases, there have been no accidents,” MacDonnell said. “A lot of residents came out and complained about their kids having to walk to school on roads without sidewalks.”
The Safe Pathway to School project has been made possible through a collaboration with the county. The borough has been paying for the construction of the roads and sidewalks and has ensured the new sidewalk will be handicap accessible and compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Construction of the sidewalks will be starting at the intersection of Clementon Road and Franklin Street to ensure completion before the school year. Construction will begin in the next couple of weeks. All sidewalk construction is set to be complete by the start of the school year.
The safe pathway to school project is among the many improvements that have been made in the center of town.
