NORTH ADAMS - proposed Mohawk Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail in the Town of Williamstown and City of North Adams

Purpose:

The purpose of this Hearing is to provide the public with the opportunity to become fully acquainted with the proposed Mohawk Bicycle/Pedestrian Trail in the Town of Williamstown and City of North Adams. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible.

Proposal:

This segment of the proposed off-road bike/pedestrian path would begin in Williamstown, approximately 400 feet west of the municipal line at the former Spruces and continue to Route 2 at Airport Road for a length of approximately 1 mile. The path would follow Route 2 to Galvin Road before crossing the roadway, continuing to the airport property, and follow Airport Road back to Route 2 with sharrows. The proposed cross-section consists of a 10-ft to 12-ft wide paved surface with 2-ft graded shoulders on each side. The existing terrain consists of rolling hills, 100-yr floodplain, some wetlands, and residential suburban areas. The project will include a boardwalk over the Paull Brook and surrounding wetlands. The multi-use trail will be constructed in accordance with applicable design guides.

A secure right-of-way is necessary for this project. Acquisitions in fee and permanent or temporary easements may be required. The Town of Williamstown, City of North Adams and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts are responsible for acquiring all needed rights in private or public lands. MassDOT’s policy concerning land acquisitions will be discussed at this hearing.

Written views received by MassDOT subsequent to the date of this notice and up to five (5) days prior to the date of the hearing shall be displayed for public inspection and copying at the time and date listed above. Plans will be on display one-half hour before the meeting begins, with an engineer in attendance to answer questions regarding this project. A project handout will be made available on the MassDOT website listed below.

Written statements and other exhibits in place of, or in addition to, oral statements made at the Public Hearing regarding the proposed undertaking are to be submitted to Patricia A. Leavenworth, P.E., Chief Engineer, MassDOT, 10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116, Attention: Roadway Project Management, Project File No. 607254. Such submissions will also be accepted at the hearing. Mailed statements and exhibits intended for inclusion in the public meeting transcript must be postmarked within ten (10) business days of this Public Hearing. Project inquiries may be emailed to dot.feedback.highway@state.ma.us

This location is accessible to people with disabilities. MassDOT provides reasonable accommodations and/or language assistance free of charge upon request (including but not limited to interpreters in American Sign Language and languages other than English, open or closed captioning for videos, assistive listening devices and alternate material formats, such as audio tapes, Braille and large print), as available. For accommodation or language assistance, please contact MassDOT’s Chief Diversity and Civil Rights Officer by phone (857-368-8580), fax (857-368-0602), TTD/TTY (857-368-0603) or by email (MassDOT.CivilRights@dot.state.ma.us). Requests should be made as soon as possible prior to the meeting, and for more difficult to arrange services including sign-language, CART or language translation or interpretation, requests should be made at least ten (10) business days before the meeting.