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Date: 9/26/2023
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is hosting a live virtual design public hearing on Oct. 11 at 6:30 p.m. to present preliminary designs for the proposed installation of a shared-use path along Mount Tom Road in Easthampton and Northampton.
According to John Bechard, MassDOT’s deputy chief engineer for design, the project’s goal is to provide a vital bike and pedestrian connection between the Manhan Rail Trail terminus and the primary boat ramp access to the Connecticut River in Easthampton. The path will also connect to medical facilities, public transit and businesses and extend northerly to the Exit 18, I-91 north bound on and off ramps.
“This corridor is an area designated as having a high probability for everyday biking and walking, and is currently used by bicyclists and pedestrians without great provisions for usage, and we need some accommodations to make [the path] more beneficial for all,” Bechard said.
Bechard said the project is at its 25% design phase, which is when input from the public is necessary. The plan is for MassDOT to present the preliminary design for this project during the Oct. 11 hearing and then for the public to make comments during the meeting.
MassDOT plans to take those comments and make the changes or accommodations where they can before entering a more detailed design phase before going into the permitting process.
The proposed design will accommodate two shared-use bicycle/pedestrian travel lanes and will include a new parking area at the Manhan Rail Trailhead.
The existing concrete sidewalk at the Manhan River Bridge will be widened to 10 feet for the entire length of the bridge, and the I-91 at Route 5 south off ramp will include new signage and updated traffic signals, thereby providing safer crossing for bicycles and pedestrians.
“Not everyone is fully versed in the connectivity of some of these trails, so directional signage, safety signage, and then wayfinding key points to keep people informed where things are going, where you can get to and say, ‘hey, I didn’t realize I could get over here from this location,’” Bechard said.
According to the Massachusetts state website, a secure right-of-way is necessary for this project and acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. Because the project is still in a preliminary design phase, Bechard said MassDOT is still unsure where easements would be necessary.
“After we do the public meeting, we’ll tie that down a little bit more closely and then we’ll determine if there are any changes needed in our right-of-way acquisition,” Bechard said.
There was another design MassDOT considered where on-road buffered bike lanes and sidewalks would be constructed on each side of the roadway, but Bechard said the existing environmental utility rail and the topographic constraints of the existing roadway limited that option.
The current option was the most balanced solution in providing bicycle and pedestrian access, but Bechard said certain aspects of the design can still change based on what abutters and residents say on Oct. 11.
Aside from speaking during the meeting, people can also send written statements about the project to MassDOT before the meeting by contacting Chief Engineer Carrie Lavallee at MassDOTProjectManagement@dot.state.ma.us. Bechard said residents can also submit comments after the meeting as well.
Readers can learn more about the project by visiting the state website: https://www.mass.gov/event/easthampton-and-northampton-shared-use-path-installation-2023-10-11t183000-0400-2023-10-11t203000-0400.