Nearly $2 million in federal funding has been awarded for much-needed infrastructure improvement projects in Bradford and Mount Jewett.
The news came Tuesday from state Rep. Martin Causer, R-Turtlepoint, who said Bradford will garner $969,150 and Mount Jewett, $980,504, via the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation through the Surface Transportation Block Grant program Set-Aside or Transportation Alternatives Set-Aside.
For Bradford, $969,150 would benefit improvements to Main Street, including replacement of curbs and sidewalks, pedestrian crossing improvements, bike lanes, Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant curb ramps, updated lighting, trees and bicycle racks.
“This award represents a very important funding source the city needed to undertake planned streetscape improvements on Main Street from Festival Way to High Street (now known as Phase II),” said Sara Andrews, executive director of the Bradford Office of Economic and Community Development.
Most of the street infrastructure in that section of Main Street is in poor condition, and she said officials are looking forward to working with PennDOT to improve this portion of Main Street. The project would likely be set for construction in 2020, Andrews said.
Bradford Main Street Manager Chelsea Schwab called the improvements critical for the downtown’s future. Main Street last saw improvements to sidewalks and hardscaping more than 30 years ago, she said.
“With so much work being done to breathe life back into downtown, these improvements will help make Downtown Bradford a safer, more accessible, and more beautiful place to live, work, and visit,” she said. “Many of our sidewalks are uneven from years of use and pose a hazard for people trying to walk around and enjoy our downtown.”
Replacement of the sidewalks will make downtown more accessible for elderly and handicapped citizens, Schwab said.
“It will also give property owners a ‘fresh start’ for sidewalk maintenance, as repairing or replacing a heavily damaged sidewalk in front of their business is a costly endeavor for small business owners,” she said. “The streetscape will also provide an overall refreshed look for downtown that will fit nicely with some of the renovated historic facades. The pieces of a downtown we all want to see for Bradford are slowly coming together.”
In the planning of the project a few years ago, officials pinpointed the TAP funding as a critical funding source for Main Street, Andrews said.
“We had been successful in the past with using federal transportation programs through PennDOT to complete the gateway entrance improvements on Elm Street and Davis Street and believed that this portion of Main Street would tie into those gateway improvements,” she said.
Meanwhile, Mount Jewett Borough will receive $980,504 for new sidewalks, drainage improvements, ADA-compliant curb ramps and lighting along Main Street/U.S. Route 6 in the Central Business District.
Borough Councilman Brett Morgan said that funding is extremely vital to the borough. Without the money, borough officials could not foot the bill with a $300,000 municipal spending plan while maintaining essential services, he said.
The borough would still have to pay as much as $250,000 for engineering costs, he said.
Morgan said no timeline has been set for the project, but the idea has been in the works for two to three years. The work has been needed for years, Morgan said.
Causer also shared some thoughts on the two projects.
“Maintaining and improving all facets of our infrastructure is important to public safety and quality of life,” he said in a prepared statement. “I am pleased to see these investments being made in our communities.”
