Salisbury awarded $800K for new sidewalk linking Hotchkiss to Lakeville

LAKEVILLE – Salisbury has been awarded $800,000 in state funds to construct a sidewalk connecting the Hotchkiss School to downtown Lakeville, the Governor’s office announced on Monday, Nov. 17.

The project, years in the making, calls for a sidewalk along the western, southbound side of Sharon Road as it winds down the hill from the boarding school’s campus, connecting with the existing walkway between Main Street and Wells Hill Road.

Although open to everyone, the new path is designed chiefly to give Hotchkiss School students a safer way to walk to and from town, replacing the current practice of using the narrow — and at times blind — roadway shoulder.

The project has drawn strong support from residents and the town’s land use commissions alike, who agree that action is needed to address the safety hazard.

A September 2025 “Road Safety Audit” conducted by the state Department of Transportation found that the stretch of Sharon Road between the school and downtown poses a particular risk to pedestrians, citing frequent student use of the roadway shoulder and a high incidence of speeding along the route.

Salisbury’s award comes through the DOT’s Community Connectivity Grant Program and represents the maximum amount available for a single project. In this funding round, the state distributed $12 million to 17 municipalities.

First Selectman Curtis Rand said he was gratified that the funds had been awarded so that the project can begin in earnest. He said the next steps are to finalize plans and specifications, which the DOT will need to approve before construction can begin, and to collaborate with Hotchkiss on “how to proceed together.”

The school has indicated it will contribute funding to the project, although the amount has yet to be determined.