Gardner receives $1.2M to enhance downtown accessibility and mobility

Photo | Timothy Doyle Downtown Gardner will enhance its accessibility and parking with federal funding.

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The City of Gardner received $1.2 million in federal funding to upgrade accessibility features and parking in its downtown area.

The Rebuilding America's Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity federal grants will support Gardner’s transportation and parking solutions, expanding residents’ accessibility to jobs, homes, and support services, according to a Wednesday press release from the Gov. Maura Healey Administration.

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation submitted a letter of support for the project to transform Gardner’s downtown into a multimodal transit hub with connections to the Montachusett Regional Transit Authority.

“The $1.2 million in funding through the RAISE grant program will make a tremendous difference in funding key infrastructure projects to enhance the downtown area for the City of Gardner,” Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson said in the press release. “Gardner has made great strides in improving our downtown region over the last 4 years and this funding is crucial for us to take the next step.”

This funding is one of three transportation projects supported by the RAISE grant, totaling more than $25 million in the state. Through the grant program, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority received $22 million to advance the Lower Broadway Everett Transit Priority Corridor Project and construct hybrid center-running bus lanes on Broadway in Everett and Alford Street in Boston.

The third funding project will support the City of Salem with $2 million to advance the design of a second Commuter Rail stop in the city.

“These grant awards will be a critical boost to our efforts to ensure our transportation system is reliable and accessible for all of our residents and support the vibrancy of our downtowns. Our administration is committed to competing for federal funding opportunities like this that will improve quality of life in Massachusetts communities,” Healey said in the press release.