Safe Routes to School: Shunpike Road Sidewalk Construction Begins Spring 2023

The Township of Chatham held a virtual informational meeting to inform the community about the final design of the Safe Routes to School – Shunpike Road Sidewalk project on Dec. 12.

The township of Chatham, in an effort to improve the safety of pedestrian traffic on Shunpike Road (CR 646), has finalized a design to construct a sidewalk
along the southern side of Shunpike Road from Falmouth Road to Pine Street.

Shunpike Road is a high-speed/high-volume roadway with a lack of adequate shoulders and a network of sidewalks plagued by gaps, obstructions, and conditions that are not conducive to a walkable community environment.

The pedestrian walkway being proposed would provide a sidewalk connection from Lenape Trail, Robin Hood Lane, and Pine Street to Washington Avenue School and Lafayette School, as well as other residential neighborhoods. Additionally, the sidewalk will create a safe walkable route to Chatham Middle School, helping to avoid the unsafe crossing of Shunpike Road.

The construction of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant sidewalk is anticipated to last one season, beginning in the spring or summer of 2023 and ending in the Fall of 2023. All work zones requiring lane closures will be limited to one block stretches at a time, working east to west along Shunpike Road, with access to all side street at all times. No work will take place at night, and all closures and work zones removed before the end of the day.