Andover receives major grant for corridor improvements

  • 2023-11-13
A grant of $3.3 million will be given to the town of Andover through the MassWorks Infrastructure Program of the Commonwealth.

This comes in support of improvements to sidewalks and roadways in the Essex Street corridor. News of such funding is often dispersed throughout a city with poster printing.

The Executive Office of Economic Development of the state administers the grant program of MassWorks, which provides capital funding to municipalities for projects related to infrastructure. These can be used to support private development, the production of housing, and the creation of jobs.

This grant is the largest that the town has received from this program.

The town will now be able to improve the infrastructure adjacent to and along Essex Street from Red Spring Road to Elm Square. This major corridor will become more walkable, have safer intersections for all users, support the development of future housing, and strengthen the connectivity between the downtown area and key destinations including the Historic Mill District and the MBTA commuter rail station.

There will be more accommodations for bicycles, the widening of Essex Street on its northern side, and upgrades to drainage and water systems that serve the corridor.

Paul Materazzo, Director of Planning and Land Use, said that this funding will be transformative for Essex Street and the neighboring areas, connect important destinations, improve walkability, and enable the continued development in the area.