SALEM — Two major construction projects ravaging Derby Street are close to the end, but the plan to upgrade the road after the fact is still coming together.
A “Derby Neighborhood Envision 2020” group was pulled together almost a year ago to “get together and try to figure out exactly what the corridor should look like” after these two projects wrap up, according to City Engineer Dave Knowlton.
Derby Street is one of the busiest streets in the city when it comes to tourism. The road encompasses the Derby and Pickering wharves, the House of the Seven Gables, Boston Harbor Cruises and much more.
In recent years, however, the road has continually been a target for construction as well — the two prime examples being National Grid’s Cable Replacement project and Footprint Power Plant. The cable replacement project is reaching its end, Knowlton said, which means work to make the street whole again could soon begin.
“The final steps are repaving the streets they impacted when putting the cables in,” he said. “They’re doing that now and re-striping after that. Then, essentially, they’re done.”
The long-term planning project targets every stretch of Derby Street from downtown where the road connects with Washington Street to as far east as the road’s intersection with Webb Street, by Footprint’s property.
The Envision group includes several neighbors to the work areas, businesses, the National Parks Service and Ward 1 City Councilor Robert McCarthy, who represents the area the road cuts through.
“It’s moving along,” McCarthy said, referring to plans for the street. “We have a consultant we’ve brought on, had a preliminary meeting and a couple meetings since, one of which was a walking tour.”
But this isn’t just a simple paving job that city leaders are putting together.
“Honestly, Derby Street is a mix. You’ve got some businesses, restaurants, a museum, residences. You’ve got the national parks site,” McCarthy said. “Rather than just repave it, we’re going to take our time, get it done right, and do it once.”
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