University of Massachusetts Amherst: Input Sought for Norwottuck Rail Trail Extension Project

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation and Department of Conservation and Recreation plan to complete the104 mile-long Mass Central Rail Trail (MCRT), extending from Boston to Amherst and Northampton. Over the past four decades, 53 miles have been completed of which the Norwottuck Rail Trail is the westernmost segment, with 22 additional miles are slated to be finished by 2024. The remaining 29 miles will be the most expensive to complete because they contain five previously-removed railroad bridges and a 1000-foot tunnel that need reconstruction, along with some private property that require purchase or an easement.

Kittelson & Associates of Boston has been selected to do an economic impact assessment for completing the MCRT.

Many other bicycle, hiking and multi-use trails meet the MCRT, including the Swift Way connecting UMassAmherst to the Norwottuck Rail Trail. In 2007, Swift Way was named in honor of Arthur Swift, professor emeritus of physics, who championed the project for several years. Swift and Robert Kusner, professor of math, both worked extensively with Rep. John Olver to have the Norwottuck Rail Trail built and updated.

When completed, the MCRT will link 26 communities across the Commonwealth, following the route of the Mass Central Railroad that ran from downtown Boston to Union Station in Northampton until
portions were washed out by the hurricane of 1938. Calvin Coolidge commuted to the Massachusetts State House on this train line when he served as governor after World War I.