The Metropolitan Planning Organization was informed about the readiness of projects on Tuesday.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Expanding the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail into North Adams or Pittsfield is going to have to wait an extra year.

 

According to state Department of Transportation, the design and permitting process is not close enough to completion for the 2016 and 2017 construction seasons.

 

Expanding into Pittsfield's Crane Avenue was eyed for 2016 and an extension from Lime Street in Adams to North Adams was penned in for 2017. Both projects are now being pushed back a year.

 

"It is based on the status of where the current projects are. They were all pushed back," Peter Frieri of MassDOT's District 1 office told the Metropolitan Planning Organization. 

 

An expansion of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is still planned from Adam's Hoosac Street to Lime Street. That $3.3 million project is 100 percent designed and environmental permitting is ongoing. On Thursday, town meeting members in Adams will be asked to approve rights of way for construction to move forward later in the year.

 

According to Mark Moore, also of MassDOT, the Pittsfield section eyed for 2016 still has pending right of way issues and the design is less than 25 percent complete. The section from Lime Street in Adams to North Adams has jumped in price considerably and a much more in-depth environmental permitting is expected.

 

Moore said the Adams section goes through land that is under agricultural protection, numerous wetlands, and there are uncertainties with getting the rights of way. The likelihood is that that the section will need a comprehensive environmental impact review before moving forward. 

 

Adams Selectman John Duval voiced concerns with the increased permitting because the town pays for design work, wondering what type of impact that will have. Moore, however, said it isn't certain right now because there are a number of proposed changes to the design funding and the town could pay a lesser percentage or nothing at all by the time the project moves forward depending on which policies are approved.

 

That section of the trail also poses additional funding problems. That project is now up to $3.3 million, up by about a quarter of a million dollars, and being pushed back into another funding year, the local Metropolitan Planning Organization is now looking for $1.7 million from various funding sources to schedule the project. 

 

Berkshire Regional Planning Commission Transportation Planner Anuja Koirala said she is currently awaiting word that the Federal Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement program — which was part of the funding package previously — will fill that gap. She said she is confident it will but that needs to be finalized before she can schedule the project. 

 

"There is a deficit of around $2 million. The cost of this project has increased significantly," Koirala said. 

 

The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail isn't the only bike path to be pushed back, either. The Mohawk Bike Trail project in Williamstown and North Adams is also eyed to be pushed back until 2017 from its 2016 schedule. 

 

No bike trail projects are looked to be constructed in 2016, but in 2017, the Pittsfield expansion of the Ashuwillticook, the Mohawk Bike Path, and a Lee Bikeway would all be completed. In 2018, the North Adams expansion of the Ashuwillticook would be constructed.

 

Other than bike trails, the MPO is also weighing moving up a project to improve the intersection of Route 7 and 20 in Lenox at Walker Street to be done this year instead of 2016. That is estimated to cost $395,516. That consideration would move a project to renovate the intersection of West Housatonic Street and Center Street in Pittsfield back to 2016.