MassTrails grant to support MassCentral Rail Trail connection design

NORTHAMPTON — The city’s shared-use path network will continue to grow thanks to a recent $157,000 grant for the design of a new connection to the MassCentral Rail Trail.

Announced by the Office of Planning and Sustainability, the grant will support the design and engineering of a universally accessible connection to the Norwottuck section of the MassCentral Rail Trail at Northern Avenue. According to the announcement, the location has long been used informally by neighborhood residents to access the bike path, but it is available only in favorable conditions and only to those who have unhindered mobility.

The connection will open up direct access for hundreds of residents in the surrounding neighborhood, according to the city. The grant will be matched by $45,000 in local Community Preservation Act funding and will result in construction-ready plans.

“Northampton’s trail network is one of our community’s greatest assets, and everyone should be able to enjoy it,” said Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra. “This grant helps us remove a barrier that has existed for years while bringing us one step closer to a safe, accessible connection for the surrounding neighborhood.”

Director of Planning and Sustainability Carolyn Misch told Reminder Publishing that the city has been looking at ways to connect the end of Northern Avenue to the bike path for a number of years, and this grant will finally help make that possible. She added that the new connection will also make the bike path accessible to all.

“Currently, there is no formal access to the bike path in the middle of this neighborhood, yet the demand for a connection is clearly present, given the well-worn desire path. The informal access allows able-bodied people to connect in this location, but not others. The connector designed through this grant will resolve this issue,” Misch said. “When this MassTrails grant round came up again, we thought that it was the right opportunity to move the project forward, particularly now that there will be additional residences within the neighborhood that are going to be built. And so that just means more interest, more people that would be accessing.”

This grant will allow the city to reduce the amount of funds awarded by the Community Preservation Committee and approved by the City Council for this design project so that those funds can be used as the required match to meet the grant requirements.

According to Misch, the project continues the city’s work to connect neighborhoods with multi-use paths and wooded trails that serve people of all ages and abilities. Misch added that expanding safe, accessible access creates more opportunities for all, including environmental justice populations, older adults, school-aged residents and people with disabilities.

“The city has inch by inch grown its shared use path network, and so we try to look for connections from neighborhoods to that path to the greatest extent possible because we know that when we create safe alternatives for people to get to where they need to go, whether it’s for errands, commuting or just recreation, more people will use those safer routes,” said Misch. “Ultimately, to the extent that we can provide those safe connections that don’t require an automobile, it helps with equity, making sure that people who can’t afford vehicles have safe means of getting around. Also, it meets our climate goals in trying to reduce our carbon footprint by at least enabling people to make choices about how they move around and not just be wedded to one way of getting around with an automobile.”