Decisions Closer on Hemlock Lane and Concord Road Sidewalks

By Kim Siebert MacPhail

Town Engineer Adrienne St. John and DPW Director Roy Sorenson appealed to the Selectmen on July 22 for direction on how to proceed with proposed sidewalk projects on Hemlock Lane and Concord Road. The biggest question, in both cases, was on which side of the street the sidewalks should be constructed, with the Selectmen asking for further detail, specifically, about their preferred options: the west side of Hemlock Lane and the south side of Concord Road.

Click here to view the DPW’s map for sidewalk alternatives on Hemlock Lane or to look at the map for Concord Road.

Expense and ease of execution were the two most determining factors in the Selectmen’s choice of focus. For Hemlock Lane, the west side is not sloped so construction there would require less engineering and expense. For Concord Road, the south side has a more generous town right-of-way and would not require as many negotiated easements from abutters, nor would it necessitate having to move utility poles.

It is believed that if the less expensive options for both of the sidewalks are chosen, the current balance of approximately $450,000 in the Community Preservation Fund’s sidewalk account is adequate to cover costs.

Previous discussions about these sidewalks—at both Selectmen and Transportation Advisory Committee meetings—have identified these two routes as “high priority” for improving pedestrian safety and connectivity. In the case of the Hemlock Lane sidewalk, it was the residents of the street who championed the cause of constructing a sidewalk, starting with a request to the town over a decade ago. Interest in the project was rekindled when Hemlock was used as a detour to divert traffic around the reconstruction of the Shawsheen River bridge on Page Road. Residents have recently packed meetings at which the project was discussed to urge construction of the sidewalk, noting that their quality of life still suffers, even though the bridge reconstruction has been completed. High-volume traffic has not abated and the street continues to be used as a cut-through during both morning and night rush hours.

Construction of the Concord Road sidewalk would provide access to the center of town for much of West Bedford and improve the Safe Routes to School network. If the south side of Concord Road is eventually chosen, a signaled crosswalk at Ten Acre Road is planned to provide safer crossing for those in the neighborhoods on the north side of the road. It was noted that people even now use the edge of Concord Road to cover the distance on foot or by bicycle, although vehicle speeds can be high and the edge of the road is narrow.

Because more detail is needed to make their final decisions, the Selectmen requested a “next level of design” on both projects, with attention to such matters as whether a crosswalk on Hemlock at Hilltop Drive would provide enough visibility and thus allow the sidewalk to safely switch from one side of the street to the other and if narrowing the “throat” of Hemlock Lane at the Burlington Road would result in slower vehicular speed on the street.

Uncertainty about the Concord Road project had to do with matters such as how many trees would be removed along the street’s edge and how existing entrances/exits into New England Nursery would be affected by narrowed and formalized curb cuts.

Bob Dorer, Chair of the Transportation Advisory Committee, recommended informing residents of both streets the next time the sidewalks are up for discussion, even if no public hearing notification is strictly required.

For earlier articles about the Hemlock Lane and Concord Road sidewalks, visit: https://thebedfordcitizen.org/2013/03/05/transportation-advisory-committee-votes-to-move-ahead-on-concord-road-and-hemlock-lane-sidewalks/