NORTHAMPTON — The DPW is accepting bids for the Northampton Bikeway Resurfacing project until Sept. 25 with the hopes of getting the project done this fall.
During the Transportation and Parking Commission meeting on Sept. 17, DPW Director Donna LaScaleia said that Northampton has already received $500,000 from a Mass. Trails grant to help offset some of the costs for the project, which is estimated to cost a total of $1.4 million to complete.
“That’s still a pretty big city contribution given all the needs that we have, so we are hoping that our project estimate holds and that we don’t end up with a higher number,” LaScaleia said during the meeting.
The project involves the rehabilitation of the 2.6-mile stretch of the “Northampton Bikeway” section on the Mass. Central Rail Trail between State Street and Bridge Road.
This section receives routine maintenance like pothole repairs, according to the state, but there has been no structural maintenance since 1982, which is when the trail was first constructed.
According to LaScaleia, the improvements to the bikeway include an asphalt paving of the path, tree trimming, other surface repairs to help stabilize the path, and intersection improvements like curbing, sidewalks, signage and pavement markings.
During the Sept. 17 meeting, LaScaleia said that the entire 2.6-mile path will have to be closed during construction, which means bicyclists and pedestrians will have to use Route 9 as a detour. LaScaleia expressed some concerns about this since challenges arose when the city closed the Mass. Central Rail Trail between Jackson Street and Stoddard Street for the drainage reconstruction project at Adare Place this summer.
“It’s not ideal we have to close the bike path,” LaScaleia said. “We went through this with the drainage project on Adare Place and we had a lot of challenges with users of the bike path vandalizing construction fencing, throwing construction barrels over the embankments and creating the need for enhanced construction fencing and construction controls as well as security details to secure the area.”
According to LaScaleia, the price for the Adare Place project increased by 20% because of the vandalism associated with people destroying fencing and aggressing the contractor, which lead to increased police detailing.
Because of what happened with that project, the Transportation and Parking Commission began brainstorming ways to communicate with the public path users about the closure of the path for the Northampton Bikeway Resurfacing project, so those vandalism issues do not arise again.
“It’s more just asking for some collaboration with bike path users and how can the city best communicate with bike path users so that we go into this with a spirit of cooperation,” LaScaleia said.
If the city receives a good bid, then the hope is to get the project done by December. If bids come back too high, then the city will have to try for bids again in the spring. Once a contract is awarded, the contractor will set the schedule for the closure and construction of the bike path.
LaScaleia said more communication about the project will happen in the coming days.
“It is going to be really difficult for us to sort of lock down the entire bike path without the cooperation from everybody,” LaScaleia said. “This is going to be pretty fantastic when it’s done, and we just need to keep our eye on the prize.”
