BLAKELY — Sidewalks along one of the busiest sections of Main Street are cracked, crumbling and even missing in spots.
But not for much longer.
The borough will replace about half a mile of sidewalks and curbs on Main Street from Keystone Avenue to Academy Street with the help of $350,000 in recently awarded state funds. Blakely is receiving the money from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development’s Multimodal Transportation Fund.
The new sidewalks will be the second phase of Blakely’s ongoing Main Street sidewalk revitalization project, which aims to replace sidewalks along the entirety of Main Street, said borough Manager Thomas Wascura.
The whole project will likely take three years to complete, he said.
The borough wrapped up the first phase of the project, which cost nearly $500,000, earlier this year when crews installed new sidewalks, curbs and handicap ramps from Cemetery Street to Keystone Avenue.
The second phase of the project will cost an estimated $741,000, and work is expected to begin in April, Wascura said. He hopes to complete work by late fall of next year. The phase will replace about 4,600 feet of sidewalks and curbs in addition to installing 30 Americans with Disabilities Act-compliant ramps, Wascura said.
Borough officials initially wanted phase two to span from Keystone Avenue to Lillibridge Street, or nearly double the length of the phase’s current scope, but they decided to scale back, Wascura said.
“We just thought it was too big of a project,” he said. “A little bit at a time would work out better for us.”
Blakely matched the grant with $250,000 and will pay the rest of phase two’s costs, Wascura said. He expects the borough to put the project out for bid in the next month or two.
The sidewalk revitalization has been in the works for about five years, said Council President Joseph Ercolani.
Ercolani noted both the safety and aesthetic benefits of the new sidewalks. With Main Street always busy with people walking and running, the council president raised concerns about the liability of having run-down sidewalks.
“That was one of our main concerns ... the safety aspect,” Ercolani said.
He believes the new sidewalks will increase foot traffic while helping to attract new businesses to Main Street.
“It’s one of the main things we wanted to get done in town,” he said. “That’s always been a goal of ours.”
When the borough eventually finishes work on Main Street, the town will examine other areas that need renovations, including Keystone Avenue, Ercolani said.
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