Scituate building path along Gannett Road
Construction of a bicycle and pedestrian trail along part of Gannett Road in Scituate is expected to begin in the next few weeks, now that selectmen have awarded a contract for the work.
Selectmen on Tuesday night awarded the job to Fredrickson Jones Contracting of Walpole, which submitted a low bid of $316,870 to install a recreational path that will run next to Gannett Road down to Hollett Street.
The bid, one of three, was more than $200,000 below the $550,000 that Town Meeting approved in March 2008 for the 0.8-mile-long trail.
The path is the first phase to connect Gannett Road to the waterfront near the corner of Hatherly Road - altogether a 1.4-mile stretch.
The bike and pedestrian trails will be safer for students walking or riding bikes to Hatherly Elementary School.
Selectman Anthony Vegnani said Gannett Road is a winding, busy street that does not have any sidewalks. While officials would like to build sidewalks, Vegnani said, the town does not have the money to build them.
“It’s only the first phase . . . but that’s a very dangerous road, and this will help make it safer,’’ Vegnani said.
The money for the trails will come from Community Preservation Act funds, which by state law cannot be used to build sidewalks.
Plans for the project began more than a year ago and were prompted by a group of residents who turned to the town after a similar project was rejected as part of the Greenbush Commuter Rail Restoration project.
