The state funding would allow consultants to assess issues on Union Street in Easthampton.
Easthampton just received a state grant to look at ways to make Union Street, pictured here, more pedestrian- and bike-friendly.
EASTHAMPTON — Most everyone agrees there are problems on Union Street that make travel difficult for pedestrians and bicyclists, and now with a $10,000 state grant, the city will receive help to define the problems and plan to fix them.
The city received the funding from the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development from its Massachusetts Downtown Initiative program, said City Planner Jessica Allan.
She said the city received money from the same source years ago to look at similar issues on Cottage Street.
The Massachusetts Cultural Council named that street a Cultural District last month, in part for its walkability.
The money will pay for consultant services, Allan said. The city will be able to develop “concept plans for Union Street. We’re hoping to get an analysis of what the issues are and preliminary designs to mitigate those issues.”
The street has numerous businesses and parking on both sides that at times makes crossing the street difficult.
She said once the city has the report on the problems, it will hold community meetings to look at recommendations.
She said as with Cottage Street, it takes time to address issues but the grant is a start. “We don’t know what the problems are, the design issues that prohibit this from being a walkable, bike-friendly thoroughfare,” she said.
One requirement for a Cultural District is walkability. The city initially included Union Street in its plans, but it was omitted in part because of that factor.