Northampton DPW Team: Meghan Flanagan, Becky Silverstein, Nikki Radford, Liz Bartell
2003-2004: In collaboration with the Northampton Department of Public Works, this student team designed a much-needed sidewalk along Bridge Road, which many children use to walk to Northampton’s public schools. The students’ final design for the 4,000-foot sidewalk incorporated numerous considerations: topography, wheelchair access, land availability, safety buffers, retaining walls, landscape preservation, and residents’ ability to shovel snow from the sidewalk.
In addition to selecting dimensions, materials, and location for the sidewalk and retaining walls, the students also coordinated public forums to solicit residents’ feedback. Participants’ comments helped the team modify their design to best meet the residents’ needs. The team’s final deliverables to the DPW consisted of four parts: the final design in AutoCAD, the land easement plans, the bid estimate, and the contract documents. The Northampton Department of Public Works continued the project and construction was completed in 2005.