Clarkson University Construction Engineering Management Consulting Group Launches Project Promoting Enhanced Street Safety in Hammond and Heuvelton
The Clarkson Construction Engineering Management Consulting Group (C3G), is beginning important Complete Streets projects in the Villages of Hammond and Heuvelton. These transformative endeavors aim to enhance the safety of the walking and biking path in villages of Hammond and Heuvelton, especially to and from their schools. Funding for the project comes from the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative’s Creating Healthy Schools and Communities (CHSC) grant, funded by the New York State Department of Health.
C3G is an in-house Clarkson team with the capability to provide pre-professional consulting in planning, engineering, and construction. This enterprise is driven by and staffed with Clarkson undergraduate and graduate students, supervised by faculty from Clarkson’s Construction Engineering Management program.
“It gives me a sense of joy and purpose knowing that I am working on a project that has a meaningful impact on the community through Complete Streets,” said Jevon Malcolm, a junior civil engineering student and the manager of the Village of Hammond Project.
This project aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the streets in Hammond and Heuvelton villages. C3G will gather field data, which will include horizontal and vertical surveys of existing topographic features along these streets, such as pavement, traffic signals, sidewalks, ramps, crosswalks, driveways, signs, drainage systems, above-ground utilities, and other relevant elements within the right-of-way.
In addition to data collection, Clarkson University students will assess current conditions to identify areas that need improvement. Their goal is to recommend enhancements that will create safer pedestrian and bicycle paths, ultimately leading to safer streets in the villages of Heuvelton and Hammond.
Senior Civil & Environmental Engineering student, Maite Salim Saker Santos Lima, is the manager of the Heuvelton project. She shared that she does not drive and thus has to walk everywhere, so she is personally invested in the improvement of street safety.
“I have younger siblings who walk to school and have had some bad experiences with reckless drivers," she said. "When I was first introduced to this project, I thought about their experiences and how I could improve the experiences of other kids who walk to school.”
The C3G team expresses the importance of local residents in this project and is encouraging residents to take an active part in this project. To ensure that the public's voice is heard and its insights are considered, C3G requests the community’s participation in the survey for each of the two communities.
Heuvelton Mayor Barbara Lashua agrees.
“I am excited that the Village of Heuvelton Board of Trustees as well as our Planning Board have joined forces with the engineering students at Clarkson University to create a Complete Streets initiative for our community," she said. "We are fortunate that Clarkson is located nearby and is able to lend their expertise in developing a long-range plan to address safety concerns within the village, however, the residents of Heuvelton should also take this opportunity to weigh in with their opinions and concerns.”
Mayor Lashua encourages all residents to participate in the survey as they can offer a perspective that reflects the day-to-day safety concerns within our community.
"Each of us has a vested interest in improving safety within the Village of Heuvelton. Your opinion is vital to creating a plan that is comprehensive and addresses the needs of all community members," Lashua said.
Lauren Morley, Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) to Grade 12 Principal at Hammond Central School, also highlights the potential this project holds for the Village of Hammond.
"The Hammond Central School District has had the wonderful opportunity to partner with the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative, Inc. in conjunction with the CHSC grant," Morley said. "This relationship has opened the door for the school district to work with our local municipality to participate in the Safe Routes to Schools/Complete Streets project. Clarkson University has been an integral part of the work to help generate improvements for our school community.”
Clarkson University students have already begun surveying local Hammond residents for their opinions at the community Farmers Markets and through attending sporting events in the villages. Principal Morley requests that “as these students are seeking your thoughts, please take a moment to participate in the linked survey so that your opinion can be considered."
The Heuvelton survey can be accessed at: https://arcg.is/yOD98
The Hammond survey can be accessed at: https://forms.gle/V6QcV2Jfe3R2pMW89
