DEDHAM – The Town of Dedham has been awarded a $40,000 grant from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) as part of the Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Program to reinstall ADA-compliant outdoor seating in Dedham Square.

The Town of Dedham is one of 21 municipalities to receive grant funding through this program and the total investment by the MassDOT to support these 21 projects is over $3.2 million. Following the success of temporary outdoor seating areas in the Dedham Square during the summer of 2020, the Town of Dedham will use this grant funding to reinstall custom ADA-compliant seating platforms in the same locations in Dedham Square. The platforms are designed to extend the sidewalk, creating a level, accessible surface for outdoor dining.

Using the same footprint and on-street parking spaces as in 2020, these platforms will provide safe and adequate space to ensure social distancing measures can be maintained at local restaurants. The platforms are designed to be temporary in nature to enable the Town to adjust the application as needed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and public health requirements. While providing these additional seating options for local restaurants, these platforms encourage safe mobility across all modes of transportation in the area and promote outdoor recreation and local commerce.

The MassDOT Shared Winter Streets and Spaces Program was created in June 2020 in response to the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact it has had on daily life. With respect to mobility and transportation, the need to ensure adequate, safe space for social distancing has become paramount and of primary focus by the MassDOT. This grant program encourages municipalities across the Commonwealth to identify ways in which they quickly can creatively meet the needs of residents and provide for safer outdoor recreation and community engagement. To date, the MassDOT has allocated $10 million to this program.

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