Pedestrians in West Hartford, Conn., will soon be able to cross more easily thanks to a $697,000 state grant.
The Hartford Courant reports that the money from the Department of Transportation's Community Connectivity Program will be used to "upgrade, replace, and/or install accessible sidewalk ramps," as well as make other improvements to the town's sidewalks.
Many of the targeted locations already have accessible sidewalks, but don't have the warning tile that might alert a pedestrian to a crossing, according to the town's grant application.
In those locations, the town will install a mounted surface tile rather than reconstruct the entire sidewalk.
Other areas of town, however, will see more intensive upgrades.
In those areas, the town wrote, there are sidewalks that are "bituminous, non-compliant with current standards or do not exist."
In those locations, a full replacement or installation is being proposed.
The town said it is focusing the scope of the project on "arterial and collector roadways and areas near high pedestrian generators such as schools or parks."
The streets listed on the town's application include Farmington Avenue, Asylum Avenue, Mohegan Drive, Mountain Road, and both North and South Main Street.
In all, 21 streets in town are being considered
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Jim Fruchterman founded the now 24-year-old social enterprise Benetech, a nonprofit tech company that focuses on developing technology for social good. Fruchterman has also launched a new initiative called Bookshare, which is a membership-only crowdsourced online library for people with disabilities.