Berkshire County leaders are celebrating a $17.3 million federal grant that will lay the groundwork for a pathway linking the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail at Adams to the Mohican Recreational Path in Williamstown. The 9.3-mile shared-use pathway, which will pass through downtown North Adams, will go a long way toward connecting many of the region’s cultural institutions, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, and the Adams Theater.
Neal visits North Adams to celebrate over $17 million in federal funding to expand the Ashuwillticook throughout the Northern Berkshires
Democratic Congressman Richard Neal of the 1st Massachusetts district was in North Adams Friday to announce a $17.3 million federal grant to extend a popular local rail trail.
The idea of connecting Williamstown and North Adams through a bike path has been bandied about Berkshire County for some time. The two major communities of Northern Berkshire County sit just five miles apart along Route 2. Eric Kerns is a founding partner of Tourists, a luxury hotel located between the two communities. In the packed city council chambers at city hall Friday morning, he read a past endorsement for the project.
North Adams, Partners Celebrate $17.3M in Federal Money Toward Bike Path
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — It’s been 26 years since the concept of a Connecticut to Vermont bike trail was first proposed — and 130 since a proposal was put forward for a path between North Adams and Williamstown.
Those dreams took another step forward on Friday with the announcement of $17.3 million in federal funding for the “Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail,” a 9.3-section from the Mohican Path at Williamstown’s Spruces to Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art.
Northern Berkshire County will connect to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail thanks to a new 9.3-mile stretch funded with federal dollars
NORTH ADAMS — The North Adams Daily Transcript wrote in an 1896 story, “The wheelmen and wheelwomen, who are now visiting Northern Berkshire in great numbers, would be strongly impressed with our enterprise up here if they see something being done in the way of bicycle paths.”
A $17 million grant will allow Northern Berkshire County communities to forge a new, 9.3-mile path connecting to the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail, realizing an idea more than 120 years in the making.
Rail trail extension into Pittsfield part of much larger plan for 25 miles of bike and multi-use paths
An ongoing state and local effort to elongate the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail was successful in 2024, but still has a long way to go.
The work on the rail trail was part of 15 miles of new shared-use paths introduced last year, backed by the state Department of Transportation. Now half a mile deeper into Pittsfield, the trail runs from Merrill Road in Pittsfield to Lime Street in Adams. There’s a new access point on Merrill Road, completed in November, with a parking lot and a pedestrian signal.
Two public housing properties in Pittsfield receive funding to narrow the digital divide
PITTSFIELD — Two of the city’s public housing properties have received funding to upgrade internet access for residents.
Currently, neither building has bulk Wi-Fi, meaning tenants must purchase an individual plan to access the internet. The most basic plan from Spectrum, the county’s primary service provider, costs $30 a month.
Eight Berkshire County towns have been designated seasonal communities by the state. Here’s what that means …
Five months after Massachusetts enacted the Affordable Homes Act, the state released the list of 25 seasonal communities that face unique housing challenges brought by their status as tourist destinations and havens for second-home owners.
Eight towns in the Berkshires made the list: Alford, Becket, Hancock, Monterey, Mount Washington, Otis, Stockbridge and Tyringham. All but two are small towns with populations between 160 and 1,634 people and are located in South County.
Traffic calming was top of mind at a World Day of Remembrance event honoring victims of roadway crashes
PITTSFIELD — At a roundtable discussion about road safety, Galen Mook suggested a reframing: look at traffic calming measures as an extension of civil rights.
Mook, executive director of MassBike, was speaking Wednesday at a World Day of Remembrance for Traffic Victims event at the Pittsfield Community Design Center on North Streeet. The discussion was part of a day of observance honoring all victims who have lost their lives in roadway crashes, including pedestrians, cyclists, motorists and motorcycle riders among others.
Our Opinion: Where was the proper process on clean energy siting bill?
This week, the Legislature sent a landmark clean energy bill to the governor’s desk. Yet instead of celebrating what is meant to be a big boost for Massachusetts’ emissions-reduction goals, we’re left wondering and worrying what disproportionate impact on our region this legislation will have if the governor signs it.
At issue is a measure in the bill that would redefine how large-scale energy projects like solar farms are permitted and approved. Under the clean energy bill, small solar arrays — less than 25 megawatts and generally taking up less than 125 acres —would be reviewed and permitted locally, according to criteria set by the state. Large-scale projects, however, would be essentially removed from local control and overseen by a state energy facilities siting board.
Will Berkshire County be covered in solar tiles to fuel Boston’s energy demands? Berkshire County lawmakers hope not
As Massachusetts looks to meet clean energy goals by 2050, will Berkshire County’s verdant farmland become a sea of indigo tiles?
Not if the Berkshire County legislative delegation can help it.
A map showing solar energy possibilities across the state created by the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources shows high potential for solar farms in Berkshire County. With Massachusetts clean energy goals setting net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and land cheaper in this part of the state, Berkshire farms and fields are vulnerable to solar development.