Sidewalks on the way for three busy roads in Cherry Hill as the Township seeks to improve pedestrian safety.

New sidewalks and Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) improvements along three busy Cherry Hill roads will cost $1.86 million and are intended to improve pedestrian safety. 

Although parts of the northside of Evesham Road near the DeCou (Garden State Rotary) sports complex have sidewalks, the Township will install a 5-foot-wide walk running 5,100 feet from Kresson Road to Short Hills Drive, said Brian Bauerle, chief of staff for Mayor David Fleisher.

Bauerle told 70and73.com that work on the project is expected to begin this fall and be done by winter. 

The $852,000 expense is being paid for by a Safe Streets to Transit grant from the New Jersey Department of Transportation.

"We are making real progress on expanding pedestrian safety and access for our residents. Council and I are excited for these projects, with more to come," Mayor Fleisher said in a statement. 

Cherry Hill had two pedestrian fatalities in each of the last three years, but five pedestrians died in town in 2021, according to New Jersey State Police records. As of August 4, Cherry Hill has had no pedestrian deaths, according to NJSP.

A project that will require coordination with Camden County will install a sidewalk on the east side of Haddonfield-Berlin Road from Evesham Road to South Mansfield Boulevard, Bauerle said.

The $683,000 project also is being funded by the state Safe Streets to Transit program.

Sidewalks have been installed on Mercer Street on the Town Hall side of the road from Hollis to Graham avenues. 

Now the walk will be extended from Graham to Sherwood avenues, Bauerle said. The $329,000 project is being funded by the Township.

One resident speaking at an April Township Council meeting said speeding cars make the street unsafe, especially for walkers. 

"Many, including neighbors, have confessed to using Mercer Street instead of Haddonfield because Mercer Street is a straight shot with no stop signs and nothing to slow you down," Mercer Street resident Marie Connors told Council at the meeting. "There is constant speeding in Locustwood and no discernible enforcement."

When the Mercer Street project is complete, a sidewalk will run the full length of the road, from Route 70 to Chapel Avenue, Bauerle said.

Bauerle said the Township has also improved and upgraded 342 crosswalks in the neighborhoods, especially near schools.