Page 23 - BusinessWest February 3, 2025

Pathway to Development
Grant Advances A2A Trail Project in Northern Berkshire County
Last month, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal announced a major federal grant award from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and
Equity (RAISE) program.
The award will fund complete planning, design, and permitting
for the Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail, also known as the A2A Trail Project, a 9.3-mile stretch of shared-use pathway connecting the existing Ashuwillticook Rail Trail to the Williamstown Mohican Path by way of downtown North Adams and the rotary of the MASS MoCA campus. This comprehensive preparation phase will move
a regional opportunity for connectivity to 100% design and shovel- ready status.
“This is the direct result of our efforts at the federal level to pass a once-in-a-generation investment in our nation’s roads, bridges, air- ports, clean water, and public transportation,” Neal said, noting that funding for the RAISE program came from the Bipartisan Infra- structure Law. “This $17.3 million grant is part of more than $27 million awarded to the First District in this latest allotment, support- ing projects from Berkshire County to Worcester County.
“The Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail Project will highlight the natural resources in North County — a true asset that attracts thousands of visitors every year,” he added. “This project will play a key role in stimulating significant economic activity through- out the region, while promoting the health and well-being of local residents.”
The grant award is the result of a collaborative effort involving Berkshire Funding Focus, a government funding initiative of the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission (BRPC), along with the municipalities of Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown, as well
as MASS MoCA and the TOURISTS hotel. BRPC will coordinate the ongoing partnership and manage the grant award over the course of the four-year process.
“BRPC is very proud to partner with local governments, private businesses, and nonprofit entities who are eager to move this proj- ect forward and believe so strongly in the promise of Berkshire collaboration,” Executive Director Tom Matuszko said. “The major benefit afforded by the RAISE grant is that it will provide for the design of the entire segment, which will then open doors for future construction funding in a fully shovel-ready state.”
The A2A Trail Project promises significant economic benefits, connecting cultural tourism destinations, including the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, MASS MoCA, and Adams Theater, as well as galleries, historic properties, restaurants, retail shops, and hospitality properties. Similar trails in Massachu- setts and across the nation boast multi-million-dollar economic impacts, including long-term job creation, visitor spending, and local tax generation.
“Not having an abandoned railway to convert has been a sig- nificant challenge in the extension of the bike trail through North Adams, from both design and fiscal perspectives. This award is piv- otal in terms of accelerating our pace for planning,” North Adams Mayor Jennifer Macksey said. “Connection to the Berkshires’ natu- ral resources — as well as the wealth of educational and cultural resources our region has to offer — benefits everyone, physically and mentally, and will enhance our region’s overall economy.”
Local and regional public entities have spent the past two decades trying to find a
Grant
Continued on page 24
“The major benefit afforded by the RAISE grant is that it will provide
for the design
of the entire segment, which will then open doors for future construction funding in a fully shovel-ready state.”
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