After a long period of waiting, Ayers Road, that leads to the entrance of South Windsor High School, received sidewalks, providing a safe place for students to walk to school and residents to take walks on.
Last year, Ayers Road drew concern from residents, who said heavy school drop-off and pickup traffic made it unsafe for students and pedestrians, and seniors, Elizabeth Sinclair and Samiksha Mahenwaren took this concern on, voicing it to the Town Council through a petition that gained up to 250 signatures advocating for sidewalks on Ayers Road.
Last year’s Prowl journalists, Nihaal Thakran, Fadel Kafel, and Tyler Romero, wrote an article about how speeding drivers were making Ayers Road unsafe for pedestrians. After months of concerns from residents, construction on new sidewalks has finally begun
The sidewalk on Ayers Road began construction over the summer, and is a part of a larger sidewalk connectivity project in South Windsor. Additionally, a larger pedestrian crossing sign has been installed at the crosswalks.
Residents of South Windsor are pleased to see these sidewalks installed on Ayers Road, one of those residents is South Windsor High School English teacher Carmela Dahms-Lodge, who walks to school every morning and is grateful that there is a walkway for everyone in town to use.
“This allows other residents access to fields they may not have been able to get to before the sidewalk installation,” Dahms-Lodge says,
At the start of this school year, Dahms-Lodge noticed more people walking on the new sidewalk. She said it’s encouraging to see and believes it helps keep students and residents safe.
The sidewalk runs from the entrance of South Windsor High School to the intersection between Ayers Road and Graham Road, where there was no sidewalk in this area previously.
Before construction, a crosswalk was painted between Ayers Road and Graham Road, but it only connected two patches of grass. This project gives pedestrians safer access to Graham Road with a small area of sidewalk at the end of the crosswalk.
South Windsor High School students, both who drive or walk to school, are glad to have a sidewalk.
Senior Daniel Guimond drives to school, but is still happy for the walkway.
Guimond believes that the sidewalks will benefit everyone, both pedestrians who walk alongside the road, and drivers won’t have swerve around pedestrians.
Nevers Road, Foster Street and Buckland Road are also receiving sidewalk upgrades as part of the town’s connectivity plan. Construction on the extended sidewalks along Nevers Road has already begun. Other ongoing road projects include reconstruction on Dart Hill Road, Governors Highway and Kennedy Road
While construction on the last part of the sidewalk is still underway, students and residents alike are pleased with the new improvements to this busy road.
