Opinion

Our view: Worthy projects in Salem, Danvers


Published: July 11, 2009

There was welcome news this week on two civic beautification projects, one in Salem, the other in Danvers.

If you're able to get into Boston this weekend for the viewing of the Tall Ships, you'll get an appreciation for how a harborwalk can open up new vistas and at the same time make life easier for pedestrians.

Boston's meanders all the way from the North End to Commonwealth Pier, allowing visitors a leisurely, exhaust-free stroll along the water.

A harbor walkway was installed as part of the Pickering Wharf development in Salem several decades ago and connects with the wharves at the Salem Maritime National Historic Site. There have long been plans to extend it east from Derby Wharf to The House of the Seven Gables and new ferry wharf, and west along the South River canal into the heart of the city's central business district.

Work on the latter portion is now scheduled to begin by late summer and be completed sometime next year. Pedestrians coming from downtown will be able to begin the walk behind the Beverly Cooperative Bank building at the corner of Lafayette and Derby streets, cross over the canal, then walk along the river to Congress Street across from Pickering Wharf.

Planners hope to see more small boats in the canal and the walkway become a much-used access route connecting both the waterfront and nearby Point neighborhood with the city's downtown.

Endicott Street in Danvers, which was once lined with truck farms, is built for cars, not pedestrians.

But it's taken on a rather shabby look in recent years despite the presence of the new Mass General/North Shore Medical Center outpatient center, a very busy Market Basket store and the Liberty Tree Mall.

Town officials announced this week they will seek a $1.3 million state grant to improve the busy roadway's aesthetics and better synchronize its several traffic signals.

That might help encourage more investment along the side of the road opposite the mall between Route 128 and Sylvan Street. The departure of several businesses has given it a rather forlorn look in recent years.