Residents and businesses in Uphams Corner are celebrating this month after succeeding in a years-long effort to get repairs made to the brick sidewalks in the business district that critics say have become treacherous in recent years.
Anthony Nguyen, a neighborhood liaison for Mayor Wu, informed residents and merchants last month that the project — led by contractor Cicconi & Sons with a $600,000 budget— would start this season. It’s now underway along Dudley Street.
The work comes after many years of advocacy from Uphams Corner Main Street, Dorchester Bay Economic Development Corporation, and the Uphams Corner Safety Task Force.
“We are very happy the project is finally happening, and the bricks are being replaced,” said Pamela Richa, store manager at Brother’s Supermarket and a member of the task force. “It’s been too long of a wait, and we are thankful for all who were involved and made this happen.
“We know this is going to benefit the community as well as our customers because we had a few incidents where pedestrians and customers fell due to the bad conditions.”
Rosalind Pendleton has lived in Uphams Corner for more than two decades and cannot remember any work being done on the brick sidewalks— which she and others appreciate and prefer to concrete slabs.
“People were falling and I even had trouble myself,” she said. “I think what changed this time is that people see that we as a neighborhood need to stick together to get the city to do things. We stuck together on this and spoke as an overall community.”
Pendleton praised Nguyen, who, she said, has been a great neighborhood coordinator “because he is from the community and understands the community….
I have to say Anthony heard us and made it work.”
On the Council side, District 3 Councillor John FitzGerald took up the cause as well. He noted that staffers Jessica Correia and Amanda Curley were instrumental in applying even more pressure to get the project on the front burner. Both advocated for restoring the bricks at every turn, particularly prioritizing it as a concern in District 3.
With that Council support, Nguyen took the request to other departments, including the Boston Transportation Department, where Xavier Lopez, a transportation planner, and Chief Engineer Norman Parks ran it up as a top priority and got things moving fast.
“Everywhere I went, I was hearing this was a big priority for residents and businesses,” said Nguyen. “It’s probably been one of the best collaborations I’ve had…It’s such a nice feeling to see everyone come through and advocate and voice concerns productively and then see the city respond.
“People are thrilled to see this happen and the process work. Some have been here decades, and the sidewalks are in the same condition as when they arrived.”
Pendleton said it’s the start of something more, as her group and the task force intend to stick together to get other improvements done in Uphams Corner.
Construction on the sidewalks began on May 6. One side has been completed, and the other side of Dudley Street is now being worked on.
