WILLIAMSBURG- CONSTRUCTION OF THE "MILL RIVER GREENWAY" SHARED USE PATH

This project proposes to construct a shared use path to restore a historical connection between Williamsburg’s two village centers. The path would begin in downtown Williamsburg at South St, and would run adjacent to the south side of Route 9 for about 1.9 miles to South Main St, where it would cross the Mill River on an existing bridge. From there, accommodation would continue on-road by implementing a "complete street" design on South Main Street for about 0.4 mile to a point where the road crosses the river again. At this point, a short switch-back will be constructed to connect trail users to the existing Mass Central Rail Trail (Northampton Bikeway). Total project length is about 2.4 miles and will require construction of one new bike/ped bridge parallel to an existing Route 9 bridge (W-36-010) across from Hillenbrand Rd. About one mile of the proposed alignment, adjacent to Route 9, is perched on the banks of the Mill River. This challenging design will require rip-rap, gabions, and retaining walls for bank stabilization. The project proponent will use this opportunity to improve bank stability, deflect scour forces, and encourage restoration of river habitat and native plant species. In addition to reducing motor vehicle trips between the two village centers, the Greenway is envisioned to connect to other river parks, rest areas, historical interpretive networks/trails highlighting the town's history, and existing businesses along the proposed route. Construction of the proposed Greenway will require a “road-diet” for approximately 0.8 mi on Route 9 to accommodate the shared-use path in the most restrictive section between the highway alignment and the Mill River.