Lebanon
The path, which is proposed to run 950 feet along Lahaye Drive, would allow both pedestrians and cyclists safer access between the hospital, the state highway and nearby Centerra Marketplace, said Lebanon Associate Planner Rebecca Owens.
The roadways between all three are heavily trafficked and likely will continue to be that way as businesses and housing are built along the corridor, she said.
“It’s an active area at that intersection, and developments near it are expected to continue to grow,” Owens said in a phone interview on Tuesday.
The Lebanon shared path project is estimated to cost about $760,000, with federal grants covering 80 percent of the total price tag and the city and local businesses promising to cover the remainder, Owens said.
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center has committed to providing $40,000.
Dartmouth College has pledged to match contributions up to $50,000, according to the project’s grant application.
The city has long talked of building a shared used path between Route 120 and the hospital, with plans dating back to 1995.
That’s when a Lebanon committee recommended the shared use path as part of a larger street project in the area.
A group of Lebanon, Hanover and regional planners also prioritized a bicycle and pedestrian path between Centerra Marketplace and Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in a 2012 report.
At the time, the shared use path was said to be the third most important project proposed for the corridor, behind a path on the east side of Route 120 and a connection to Hanover.
Work is now underway to make all of those proposals a reality, Owens said. A 10-foot wide path is planned for Route 120 as part of the Altaria Lebanon Park, a 153-unit residential complex planned for 65 acres near Centerra.
Hanover also is making yearly strides to connecting the hospital to its downtown, said Town Manager Julia Griffin on Tuesday.
Last summer, the town constructed a new sidewalk on the west side of the street from Storrs Drive to Tanzi Preserve Road, and construction is now underway on a stretch from Greensboro and Buck Road, she said.
Hanover would ultimately like to expand its paths to the hospital, and is looking into whether such a project would be on Route 120 or through town-owned land, Griffin said.
If people approve of plans for the Lebanon shared path, the project will go into several design phases before a construction contract is awarded in June 2019, Owens said.
Ground would be broken soon afterward, she said.
The city is currently working with engineering consultant Dubois & King, Inc, of Randolph, Vt., and the New Hampshire Department of Transportation on the project.
An initial public forum on the project will be held from 4-6 p.m. today in Auditoriums A and B at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Another presentation also will be scheduled for June.
Tim Camerato can be reached at tcamerato@vnews.com or 603-727-3223.