The new sidewalks and other pedestrian-friendly improvements will run along the south side of the road from Candy Apple Drive to Cross Road, a 1.8-mile stretch that has seen two pedestrian deaths in the previous year.

A New Bedford woman was struck by a car and killed on New Year’s Eve near 597 State Road, while last July a Fall River man died from his injuries after being hit while walking near 671 State Road.

Another pedestrian was previously killed in a hit and run around 653 State Road in 2018.

Project engineer Lori Aho from The Engineering Corp, working for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation, presented the plans to improve pedestrian safety.

Along with sidewalks, plans include upgrading crosswalks and intersections with signal heads, push buttons and ramps to make the sidewalk wheelchair accessible. 

Existing pedestrian access along the road are “not consistent,” Aho noted. “Some sections have sidewalks, others no sidewalks at all.”

She said that the project falls under the state’s bicycle and pedestrian improvement plan, adding that the project will likely not have a significant impact on the multiple streams and wetlands along the route.

“The project has been designed to minimize and avoid impacts to wetlands,” Aho said, calling it an “important safety improvement.”

The timeline for the project is currently unclear.

Another public hearing on the project will take place at the Conservation Commission meeting on Feb. 23.