The Board of Selectmen last week endorsed transferring some town funds from a contingency account to a sidewalk project, in which more than one mile of concrete sidewalks will be constructed along state roadways in central Newtown.

On September 18, the selectmen endorsed adding $5,600 in local funds to the overall $932,000 project. Under the project's revised funding scheme, the state and federal government would cover $745,600, with the town covering $186,400.

The $5,600 amount would be used for new mapping that depicts some property easements required for the sidewalk project. The added funding is subject to approval by the Board of Finance and the Legislative Council.

Rob Sibley, town deputy director of planning, said last week that the project is scheduled to be put out to bid in February. Groundbreaking is scheduled for next spring, with project completion projected for fall 2018.

The project had been slated to start construction in mid-2017, but encountered delays.

Construction is expected to last four months, during which 5,900 linear feet of sidewalks will be built along South Main Street, Mile Hill Road, Wasserman Way, and Trades Lane.

The sidewalks are planned for the eastern side of South Main Street between its intersections with Glover Avenue and Mile Hill Road; the northern side of Mile Hill Road between its intersections with South Main Street and Wasserman Way; the northern side of Wasserman Way between its intersections with Mile Hill Road and Trades Lane; and the western side of Trades Lane between its intersections with Wasserman Way and the main driveway at Reed Intermediate School.

The brushed-concrete sidewalks will generally be five feet wide, with a minimum four-foot width occurring in some areas. The sidewalk construction design will meet the access requirements of Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The project will not include any roadway improvement work.

The project will not include the construction of any retaining walls, as the sidewalks will follow the rise and fall of the terrain. The new construction will occur within the state's rights-of-way for the several roads. The sidewalks will generally be positioned at least five feet away from the curbline along the roadways.

The project will include improvements to the traffic signals that are positioned at the four-way intersection of Wasserman Way and Trades Lane at Fairfield Hills.

The new sidewalks will improve pedestrian access between the center of town and the Fairfield Hills campus. The sidewalk project dovetails with the ongoing Fairfield Hills Streetscape Project. The streetscape project is intended to provide better access to the campus via its main entrance, and also provide some street lights.

Through sidewalk construction, the town seeks to encourage safe travel by foot.