Verona secures sidewalk funding for business district, key areas to boost walkability

Walking through Verona will become easier in the next few years.

The borough will add or rehabilitate several stretches of sidewalk to better connect key destinations.

Substantial portions of Center Avenue, Second Street, Wildwood Avenue, James Street, East Railroad Avenue, West Railroad Avenue and Grant Street will see sidewalk improvements starting next year.

The work will include crosswalk enhancements, new traffic lights and other road markings.

Some of those streets comprise a loop connecting the business district, Verner Elementary School, Cribbs Field and other popular spots.

Verona marked these corridors as priorities in its Active Transporation Plan. Approved in 2022, the plan outlines ways to promote walking, biking and other modes of transportation besides motor vehicles.

It was crafted with funding and technical support from WalkWorks, a partnership between the Pennsylvania Department of Health and Pennsylvania Downtown Center. Nearly 60 communities have benefited from the program, including Churchill, Delmont and Greensburg.

This first batch of upgrades will take place because of a $206,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development. Verona will provide an $88,000 match.

The borough has received only one grant larger than that in at least 10 years, according to Verona Councilwoman Trish Hredzak-Showalter. That grant totaled $300,000 and also was designated for multimodal transportation, a term meaning affordable and efficient transportation options.

“This is a pretty big win for us,” Hredzak-Showalter said. “We’re just excited to have a big help improving our infrastructure and making Verona more walkable.”