MONTAGUE CENTER — With a series of possible road improvements, town officials aim to address speeding, improve crosswalks, add bicycle lanes, create formal on-street parking and increase accessibility in the village.

Residents had a chance to ask questions and voice their concerns about traffic safety and accessibility during a Zoom hearing Thursday night. In an email, Town Planner Maureen Pollock said the goal of the project is to address concerns brought up by residents for several years.

“These efforts are being made in response to numerous concerns expressed to the town over the past several years regarding speeding through this area, as well as, pedestrian and bicyclist safety,” Pollock wrote.

Jim Czach, project manager with VHB Consulting, gave a breakdown of what the project will entail, showing images of the existing conditions along with a map depicting each improvement idea. The project area for Montague Center includes the north end of Main Street where it meets Center Street and North Street, and the south end of Main Street ending just before South Street and West Street.

This project area was identified as a top priority in 2020 for the $311,000 Complete Streets grant awarded to the town. While the initial award covers planning and design work, the town will need to apply for a Tier 3 Complete Streets grant that could fund the construction work.

Two options for bicycle, pedestrian and vehicle accessibility were offered where Main Street bears left heading north. The first proposal is to widen the road by 3 feet on each side, resulting in 10-foot vehicle travel lanes and 5 feet for a dedicated bike lane.

The second proposal is to create a 10-foot shared-use path from Center Street to Station Street, replacing an existing sidewalk.

These two proposals would require getting easements to extend the roadway into residents’ front yards and into the common, where trees are currently planted.

In front of the Montague Center Library on Center Street, the road would be marked for parking with 11-foot travel lanes and 8-foot shoulders, and a curb would be installed to keep vehicles from parking on the grass at the common.

Court Square, School Street and Main Street would include a crosswalk at the Main Street and Center Street split. Another crosswalk would be added to the right of North Street that would include Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)-compliant curb ramps for pedestrians and signs. North Street would also become a one-way street heading northbound, allowing for on-street parking.

Just before the southern-most point of the common where North Street and Main Street meet, a raised grass island would be installed with a crosswalk for access to the common.

As a traffic-calming measure, the project proposal entails creating a raised crosswalk at Station Street. Czach said a raised intersection would be safer for traffic speeds on Main Street. The bus stop and shelter for passengers would be relocated to the Union Street crossing in front of the Post Office.

As Czach explained the proposals during Thursday’s hearing, viewers chimed in with their questions and comments. Many of the comments related to pedestrian safety and speeding on Main Street.

Resident Sally Pick raised concern over the poor line of sight for pedestrians crossing near School Street, located at the Main Street S-curve.

“If you’re driving north on Main Street toward Turners Falls, you don’t get a line of sight to the people crossing on the right until about 25 feet before that [crosswalk],” Pick said. “If I’m driving the speed limit, I could probably brake in time, but people blow through here like crazy and that is really unsafe.”

Pick asked if this crosswalk could be moved, and Czach noted it could be moved farther south to improve the line of sight, or flashing pedestrian lights could be added to call motorists’ attention to pedestrians who are crossing.

Other comments in the Zoom chat included residents’ hopes to preserve the trees on the common and preserving the historic nature of Montague Center’s streets.

Moving forward, the Montague Selectboard will discuss the conceptual designs and offer guidance for the project during its Sept. 16 meeting. Then, during its Sept. 30 meeting, the board will potentially approve a design. The public is encouraged to attend these meetings and offer feedback.

A website containing the full design proposals, a recording of the Sept. 5 hearing and more information is available at montague-ma.gov/p/1553.

Erin-Leigh Hoffman can be reached at ehoffman@recorder.com or 413-930-4231.