Politics & Government

Ambitious Road, Sidewalk Repairs Wrap Up; Mayor Says Main Street on Right Track

City crews made repairs to several major roads across Peabody over the summer, just in time to have them ready for the start of school and fall traffic.

Midway through the summer, it really did feel like every other road in Peabody was under construction all at once.

Mayor Ted Bettencourt says that was actually by design -- not the prolonged amount of time it took to cross the city experienced by many a vexed commuter at times, but rather completing most of the work before traffic really picked up in the fall.

Bettencourt said it was an ambitious workload of road and sidewalk repair projects to several major thoroughfares, including Main, Washington, Bartholomew, Sylvan and part of Lowell Street. Dozens of side streets were also repaved.

“We had the Main Street realignment project finishing up at the start of summer and we just went nonstop after that,” said Bettencourt. “I realize the major road projects created some traffic headaches, but it was important we get them all done before school started. That is when traffic volume explodes and you want to have the work done and the work crews off the streets.”

With the exception of one or two lingering projects, that effort appears to have been successful. Bettencourt credited the police and public services departments with working closely together to keep traffic flowing and avoid major problems while grinding, paving and repainting was done on several major roads.

“I cannot say enough about the work of the DPS. These guys were out at the crack of dawn and were working straight through until sunset. The sheer volume of projects happening simultaneously made it all the more impressive," Bettencourt said.

He also says Main Street will continue to be fine tuned as motorists and pedestrians alike adjust to the new landscape.

One of the main fixes city officials believe should alleviate traffic congestion is tweaking the timing of signals in Peabody Square and at the intersections with Washington and Howley streets.

Nevertheless, Bettencourt says, while traffic may bottleneck for motorists approaching the square from Lowell Street and coming onto Main Street from Salem during peak traffic hours, the "benefits to the city's overall economic development will outweigh the added drive time."

“The fact is that Peabody is a thriving city of some 53,000 people,” said Bettencourt. “We have very limited public transportation and a lot of cars on our roads."

"The ongoing improvements to our downtown, along with the recent work on our major thoroughfares, helps make Peabody even more desirable for individuals, families and businesses. We are moving forward,” he said.


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