NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton Bikeway segment of the Mass Central Rail Trail will be closed for reconstruction starting on Oct. 28 for at least 30 days.
According to the announcement from the city, a detour for this segment of the trail will be in place for the duration of construction and the trail will be completely closed to all kinds of access while construction is underway.
Northampton DPW Director Donna LaScaleia announced during the Transportation and Parking Commission meeting on Oct. 15 that the city has received a “favorable bid” of just under $1.5 million for the Northampton Bikeway pavement resurfacing project, which is estimated to cost around $1.4 million.
According to LaScaleia, the city is pushing very hard to get this project done before the end of this construction season, but a lot must go right timing- and weather-wise.
“It’s a fairly big level of effort and we are trying to push very hard to get it done before the asphalt plants close,” LaScaleia said. “We are hoping to push very hard to get this done this season so as not to be sort of disrupting the heavy spring-summer season.”
The project calls for a full reclaim of the 2.5-mile path between Bridge Road and State Street, which is a portion of the Mass. Central Rail Trail. The work will include pavement reclamation and hot mix asphalt trail resurfacing. Intersection improvements include curbing, sidewalks, signage and pavement markings, and there will be tree trimming, and associated surface repairs.
With the bike path closed for construction, bicyclists and pedestrians will have to use detours via Stoddard Street, Prospect Street, Locust Street, Main Street and North Main Street.
Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra urged residents not to disrupt the construction period.
“While it is never convenient to temporarily close an artery of transportation and recreation, I urge residents to avoid this area for safety reasons and to let our contractors complete their work without interruption so that we can reopen the trail as soon as possible,” she said.
During the Oct. 15 meeting, LaScaleia said signs and QR codes are ready to go so people are aware of the detour when the construction officially begins.
“We just ask for everyone’s cooperation to just stay out of the contractor’s way so we can get this done and we can get them out of there before the snow flies,” LaScaleia said.
Northampton has already received $500,000 from a Mass. Trails grant to help offset some of the costs for the project, and the City Council approved funding for this project at a prior meeting. LaScaleia said during the Sept. 17 meeting that the project’s estimate was around $1.4 million.
According to the state, the Northampton Bikeway section typically receives routine maintenance like pothole repairs, but there has been no structural maintenance since 1982, which is when the trail was first constructed.
“We are glad to begin the long-awaited reconstruction of the Northampton Bike Path between Bridge Road and State Street”, Sciarra said. “After so many years of use of the Bikeway, it’s exciting to see this critical improvement project move forward, thanks in large part to the $500,000 awarded to us through the MassTrails Grant program.”
