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The City of Salem is working to make improvements to the Essex Street Pedestrian Mall.
This webpage provides an overview of the City’s efforts since January 2011. The webpage will be updated as work advances.
Updates
May/June, 2013: Phase two work:
- May 13 – 22, 2013: Work to be performed on “Area 3” of plan linked above (area between Central Street and Museum Square)
- May 22 – 31, 2013: Work to be performed on “Area 2” of plan linked above (area between Derby Square and Central Street)
- June 3 – 14, 2013: Work to be performed on “Area 1” of plan linked above (area between fountain and Derby Square)
April 17, 2013: Bid notification for work on fountain released
June 1, 2012: Phase one drawings completed.
May 25, 2012: Survey work completed.
April 30, 2012: Survey work initiated.
Background
From January to April 2011, the City, in collaboration with the Salem Partnership and the Peabody Essex Museum, convened four workshops to develop a conceptual plan for the pedestrian mall (refer to Designing the Future Pedestrian Mall link below).
Since completing the conceptual plan in April 2011, the City and its partners have applied for grant funding for the next phase of design work. Although we have not yet been successful in securing funding for the next phase of design work, the City has been able to move forward with incremental improvements.
The focus of the incremental improvements has been to address maintenance, safety, and pedestrian access issues. During the summer of 2011, the City repaired broken concrete and bricks and modified two landscaping beds to improve pedestrian flow.
2012 Scope
In the winter and early spring of 2012, the City re-engaged the design team (Utile and Landworks Studio) to develop a scope of incremental improvements that could be constructed during 2012. Consistent with the work in 2011, the goal of the improvements is to address maintenance, safety, and pedestrian access issues while advancing the broader 2011 conceptual plan.
The 2012 scope of improvements can be seen by viewing the Essex Street Pilot Project Strategic Approach link below.
The scope is divided into two phases:
- Phase one includes removing the landscaping bed behind the fountain on Washington Street, removing the kiosk, and removing the concrete circular planter in front of Salem Five. These areas would be filled in with brick to match the existing pattern. The approved plan also includes removing the next four landscaping beds (as you walk toward the PEM) and replacing them with brick. Depending on pricing, some, all, or none of these four landscaping beds will be removed as part of phase one.
- Phase two includes removal of both landscaping beds located in front of the Museum Place Mall, and replacement with brick matching the existing pattern; the removal of 8 diseased street trees and replacement with ~7 new trees in front of Coons to Cabot Money Management (216-226 Essex St) and one new street tree planted in front of the Magic Parlor (213 Essex St), between the two existing street lights; the removal of the kiosk and replacement with brick paving; removal of cobble parking tabs and replacement with brick to match the existing patterns in three areas along the pedestrian mall (between Washington St. and Derby Sq., Derby Sq. and Central St., and Central St. to Museum Sq.) and replacement with brick matching the existing pattern; and resetting of cobblestone areas to correct drainage and settling problems.*
*Note that although the rehabilitation of the water fountain at the corner of Washington St. and Essex St. was originally to have been completed during phase two, it will not be done as part of the round of improvements occurring in May/June of 2013.~ That specialized work is currently out to Bid and will commence at a later time (anticipated to start July 29, 2013 and completed by or before September 13, 2013).
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