Lincoln Street will remain open to two-way traffic following a test this past summer when it was converted to a one-way road with a five-foot-wide protected pedestrian and bicycle path.
“I know there’s been a lot of anxiety from a lot of people who have advocated for many different things, and we will not be pursuing a shared use path on Lincoln Street,” Assistant Town Manager Michael Lindstrom told the select board Monday. “But what I will say is that that does not absolve us at all of our responsibility to provide safe pedestrian access on Lincoln Street. And we are not walking away from that.”
The plan and pilot test were part of the Complete Streets program Andover adopted in 2022. The program is aimed at making streets safer for pedestrians and bicyclists. But Lincoln Street residents said converting the popular pass-through between Route 133 and Shawsheen Road into a one-way street caused traffic backups, particularly after Andover High School and West Middle School opened for the 2024-25 school year in August.
Lindstrom said the Town is now considering an alternative plan that would build a five-foot sidewalk on the west side of Lincoln between Lowell and Maryland Streets. That would keep Lincoln Street a two-way road, but would require shifting the road slightly eastward to keep it in the Town’s right of way. The project, with an estimated cost between $200,000 and $300,000, would also require the relocation of six utility poles and a fire hydrant.
Lindstrom said the Town would discuss the proposal with affected homeowners as the details are worked out.