ANSONIA – State and local officials held a press conference Friday (March 20) to speak about a $789,000 grant to improve sidewalks near the middle school on Howard Avenue and pedestrian access to the river walk off Pershing Drive.
“If you look at extending the river walk, it’s so popular in Derby and it can be very popular here as well, and we want to make sure that we’re providing these amenities in a safe way for everybody,” said state Rep. Kara Rochelle, who represents Ansonia and part of Derby in the Connecticut State House of Representatives.
The project includes the reconstruction of about 4,650 feet of sidewalk, along with crosswalks and ramp improvements, on a half-mile stretch of Howard Avenue, Father Lar Drive, and Clifton Avenue, according to a project narrative shared by the state Department of Transportation (DOT).
Construction could begin by late summer or early fall, according to the DOT.
The grant was originally announced as part of a $12 million round of funding from the DOT in November.
Speakers at the press conference included Rochelle, state Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, state Sen. Jorge Cabrera, Mayor Frank Tyszka, and state DOT senior advisor Carlo Leone.
Tyszka said the sidewalk reconstruction will benefit a neighborhood which includes the Ansonia Middle School, the Boys & Girls Club, and the Harry Ford community and early education center.
“It’s a safety idea there where we had some decrepit sidewalks. They were broken, it was dangerous, we had people tripping and falling,” Tyszka said.
Bysiewicz said improving neighborhood walkability will encourage new investment in the area.
“Having access to safe walkways really encourages walkability, attracts new investment and supports sustainable transportation options,” Bysiewicz said.
She said the grant also contributes toward the state’s “Vision Zero” initiative, which aims to bring down the number of transportation-related fatalities throughout the state. Thirty people have died on Connecticut roads so far this year, she said.
“These investments matter because they save lives,” Bysiewicz said.
Sen. Cabrera said he’s happy to see the money coming in to Ansonia.
“I’ve walked (the area) a lot. It is really exciting to see this investment happening here,” Cabrera said.
Rep. Rochelle said the project will continue to benefit the neighborhood in years to come, even as the middle school eyes moving to a new location and building on Pulaski Highway on the other side of town.
The residents of the neighborhood “deserve safe sidewalks, and so the sidewalks are definitely in need of improvement,” Rochelle said. “And so regardless of where the middle school is, one, the residents live there, they deserve these sidewalks, and two, that building will be put to additional use.”
She and Tyszka said the current middle school could become home to a daycare center in the coming years.
The state DOT’s Community Grant Connectivity Program, which is funding the improvements, has awarded $74 million to cities throughout the state since 2018, according to past press releases. Other projects funded by the program have included bike lane additions and trail connectors.