CHAPTER 6

Transportation Resources The Mohawk he Transportation Resources chapter includes a compre Trodden out, in the dim past, hensive inventory of transportation related infrastruc by the feet of the First ture and facilities along the including: Americans— Followed by the of the , , public transportation, bicycle, pedestrian, pioneer white man over the andT railway facilities. The information contained in this chapter was western barrier of gathered from a variety of sources including, the Massachusetts— Highway Department (MHD) road inventory files, the Registry of Paralleled under the mountain Motor Vehicles and data routinely gathered and maintained by the by the greatest of its time— transportation staff of the BRPC and FRCOG. In addition site as- And now, dedicated to modern sessments were conducted to record data on the aesthetics and char- transportation overland, to acteristics of the road. The information gathered during the site become the finest scenic road assessments included the length of the byway, travel width, in New England, completing the northern trunk line shoulders width and surface materials, the existence or lack of side- across the state. walks, type of guardrails, signs, retaining walls, the layout of major —from an article in the North intersections and the location of existing turnoffs. Adams Transcript regarding the Issues regarding the maintenance, safety, historic significance formal Mohawk Trail dedication ceremony held at Whitcomb Sum- and aesthetic character of the transportation facilities along the cor- mit on October 27, 1914. ridor are discussed. The goal of this chapter is to assess the existing transportation facilities, identify concerns and detail needed im- provements. The chapter concludes with a discussion about the is- sues of concern and recommendations for future action to ensure transportation usefulness and safety while at the same time main- taining the scenic beauty of the area.

was declared a scenic road when it was History of the opened, which was unusual. The open- Road Development ing occurred at the dawn of the auto- mobile age, and the road formed the The Massachusetts Highway Com- connecting link of the State highway mission’s annual reports documented from to New York and west. the early development of the Mohawk The construction opened up beautiful Trail Scenic Byway. In 1911, the first sections of the Berkshire Hills to auto- legislative bills were filled to construct mobiles, which up to this time were an auto road over Florida (Hoosac) inaccessible due to the steep grades. Mountain between Charlemont and This newest section of the road was North Adams along the Deerfield and 13 miles and was constructed as a the Cold Rivers. The Massachusetts with wood railings and Highway Commission approved the rock cribs along the slopes. The road road construction in 1912 and it was extended from the in completed at a cost of $368,000 in Charlemont over Whitcomb Summit 1914 (Krim, 2001). in Florida to the base of Hoosac The Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway Mountain in North Adams. The con- was formally opened on October 27, struction included permanent 1914. It was noteworthy because it over the Deerfield and Cold

100 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY River, and rock cuts through the Cold River Canyon in Florida and Hairpin Inventory of the Turn in North Adams. Road Characteristics The eastern section of the original Mohawk Trail between Charlemont and Conditions and Greenfield followed local The Corridor Management Study Area along the Deerfield River Valley. Be- extends 44 miles along Route 2 (the tween 1919 and 1921, this original road Mohawk Trail) from the rotary in was upgraded to a concrete cement Greenfield, located at the of highway over Greenfield Mountain to Route 2 and Interstate 91, to the inter- Shelburne. From 1922 to 1929, further section of Route 7 and Route 2 in improvements were made to the sec- Williamstown. Route 2 is an important tion of the road between Shelburne, travel route, serving as the major East- Charlemont and Florida. The im- West connection in the northern section provements during this time included of Massachusetts, extending from Bos- paving and regrading. The fact that the ton and into New York State. The road road was a State funded highway was serves as a commercial truck route, a lo- unique as many similar scenic roads in cal road, and a scenic recreational route. the Midwest built during this same pe- The majority of Route 2 is a state riod were privately funded. Originally, highway, which is owned and main- the Mohawk Trail was assigned State tained by MHD, but there are two sec- 7 in 1919, but the tions of Route 2 that are owned and route number was later changed to maintained locally. The 2.4 mile sec- State Route 2 in 1926 to avoid confu- tion of Route 2 in North Adams from sion with U.S. Highway 7 through East Main to Notch Road, and Williamstown (Krim, 2001). the 1 mile section in Williamstown Following World War II, the road from Bingham Street to Hemlock was further improved with grade align- Brook (southwest of Field Park and ments and bypass routings that were the project area) are locally owned and also documented in the Massachusetts maintained (see Appendix 6A for the Highway Commission’s engineering Administrative System map). The files. Among these improvements was Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway is also a the reconstruction of the Greenfield part of the National Highway System. Mountain Longview grade (1951), the According to transportation engi- construction of a bypass around neering practices, roads are “function- Shelburne Center (1952), the con- ally classified”. The functional struction of a bypass around Shelburne classification is defined by the road’s Falls (1954), and the replacement of purpose within the entire road net- the original concrete bridges over the work and is based on definitions pro- Deerfield and Cold Rivers (1955). In vided by the American Association of 1966, the roadway grade at the Hairpin State Highway and Transportation Of- Turn in North Adams was improved ficials (AASHTO). Roads are func- and the city expressway over the tionally classified in order to rank their Hoosac River on State Road was con- importance within the entire road net- structed. Interstate 91 (I-91) located at work. The two major considerations in the eastern terminus of this study area classifying highway and street net- was opened in 1963. works functionally are for access and mobility. There are eleven road classifi- cations. These categories are further classified based on whether the road is located in an urban or a rural area.

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 101 that links a city to larger towns forming an integrated network of interstate and intercounty service. The section of the byway study area that is located in Shelburne Falls includes Route 2A (South Maple Street, Bridge Street and State Street). These roads are all classi- fied as “rural minor collectors”. Rural minor collectors are defined as those roads that provide service to large towns or areas within the County not served by the arterial system and roads that link these towns or areas with the arterial system. The following section of this chapter summarizes the information gathered on the aesthetic characteristics, overall condition of the road and other related infrastructure. The data is summarized by region for Franklin County and A view of the Byway in Berkshire County. Greenfield from the rotary. Most of the Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway (Route 2) within the study area Franklin County is functionally classified as a “rural prin- General information on the road layout cipal arterial”. Rural principal arterials features for the Franklin County sec- are defined as those highways that serve tion of the Byway is summarized in this substantial statewide or interstate section. The MHD Road Inventory File travel. The sections of Route 2 in North database provided details of the travel Adams and Williamstown are classified lane widths, width, paving as “urban extensions of a rural principal materials, and existence or absence of The Mohawk Trail headed east arterial”. An urban extension of a rural . This information was veri- into Greenfield. principal arterial is defined as a road fied and supplemented by aesthetic and

102 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 6.1 Summary of Road Layout Details in Franklin County Shoulder Mileage Description Travel Shoulder Surface Start End Start End Town Width Width Material Comments 0 5.14 Rotary in Little Mohawk Greenfield/ 24 8 paved Greenfield Road Shelburne 5.14 5.54 Little Mohawk Mercy Anderson Road Road Shelburne 24 5 paved 5.54 6.2 Mercy Anderson Cooperlane Road Shelburne 24 8 paved 6.2 7.42 Cooper Lane 2/3 mile East Road of Maple Street Shelburne 24 5 paved 7.42 9.81 2/3 mile East Buckland/Charlemont Buckland 24 8 paved of Maple Street town line 9.81 10.33 Buckland/Charlemont Just west of Charlemont 24 13 paved town line North River Road 10.33 16.77 Just west of Eastern edge of Charlemont 24 4 soft North River Road Charlemont Village 16.77 17.71 Eastern edge of Western edge of Charlemont 24 2 paved Charlemont Village Charlemont Village 17.71 18.87 Western edge of West of Charlemont 24 4 soft Charlemont Village Legate Hill Road 18.87 19.72 West of West of Tower Road Charlemont 24 4 paved Legate Hill Road 19.72 22.05 West of Tower Road Savoy Charlemont 24 4 soft Sources: Data collected by field survey completed by FRCOG staff and MHD Road Inventory File Year 2001, MHD Department Planning. road layout information that was col- travel route within a scenic rural area. lected during site assessments. The following description is intended The Franklin County section of the to provide a sense of the character and Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway is 22 miles layout traveling from east to west. long. For the most part the road is one Traveling west from the rotary in lane in each direction. There are only Greenfield on the Mohawk Trail, the two locations where there are turning first 1⁄4 of a mile is the most commer- . One is immediately west of the cially developed of the entire section rotary in Greenfield (for ap- of the Byway in Franklin County. proximately 1⁄4 of a mile) providing ac- There is a traffic light located at an in- cess to the retail establishments tersection controlling access to the located on both sides of the . commercial development located on The second is at the intersection of both sides of Route 2. The develop- Mechanic Street in Buckland. Other- ment consists of several large-scale re- wise, the road is two lanes: one east- tail businesses that accommodate high bound and one westbound. According traffic volumes. The businesses located to the MHD Road Inventory files, the here include grocery stores, a price road width is consistent for the entire club warehouse store, several hotels, length of the Franklin County section. several fast food restaurants, several The travel lane width is 24 feet or family style sit down restaurants, and a two12-foot travel lanes. large office supply store. The busi- The character of the Mohawk Trail in nesses located in this area generally ca- Franklin County reflects its function as ter to a high volume of automobile an important and primary regional traffic. The businesses are easily acces-

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 103 contains a breakout of the lane and shoulder widths along the Byway in Franklin County. Although parking is not allowed on State highways, there is enough space for a vehicle to pull off of the road into the shoulder along this stretch of the road in the event of an emergency or breakdown. The Byway Study Area includes the Village of Shelburne Falls which is lo- cated off on Route 2A, including the local roads of South Maple Street, Bridge Street and State Street. The road layout in the Village of Shelburne Falls is distinctive from that of Route The narrow and winding road layout east of Charlemont Village. 2. Within this area there are historic commercial and residential buildings located close to the road. According to the MHD Road Inventory File, South Maple Street is 28 feet wide, Bridge Street is 22 feet wide and 30 feet wide (with on-street diagonal parking) and State Street is 30 feet wide (also has diagonal on-street parking). Many of the streets have sidewalks, and the scale and road layout of the Village of Shelburne Falls is pedestrian oriented. West of the Buckland Bridge over the Deerfield River at the Buckland/ Charlemont town line (located in the middle of the Deerfield River) the road layout changes. At this point, the shoulder width increases dramatically The Village Center in Charlemont—along the Byway. to 13 feet for about 1⁄2 of a mile. After that the roadway layout varies from sible (within 1⁄4 mile) from Interstate what was previously experienced for 91. The automobile oriented develop- the next six miles. For the next six miles ment layout reflects this close proxim- the shoulder is considerably narrower at ity to the highway. four feet or less and the shoulder area is Traveling west from Greenfield the no longer paved. The road is winding road ascends Greenfield Mountain with and as you approach Charlemont center a steep upward vegetated slope to the the shoulder is extremely narrow. There South and a view of the mountains to are few pull-off areas available to the the North. At the top of Greenfield traveler along this section of the road as Mountain the landscape is characterized the shoulder is too narrow to pull-off by scattered development and wooded into. The road is located to the North areas to the North and South of the of the Deerfield River. There are nu- road. The road layout and characteris- merous locations where there are scenic tics are consistent for the next 10 miles views of the river. with paved shoulders varying in width The roadway layout and character between five and eight feet. Table 6.1 completely changes once in the center

104 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY of Charlemont. Through Charlemont center the road has 12-foot travel lanes, a two-foot shoulder, curbing and sidewalks. This is the only area directly on the Byway in Franklin County that has sidewalks (while Shelburne Falls has sidewalks also it is not located di- rectly on Route 2 or the Mohawk Trail). The road character reflects that of a small village center. West of Charlemont center the road is relatively flat with soft surface shoulders that are four feet in width for approximately one mile. The land- scape is flat with a view of the moun- tains in the distance. To the west of the Hail to the Sunrise Statute in Mohawk Route 2 as it heads toward the Trail State Park, the character of the Mohawk Trail is relatively short com- roadway changes as it proceeds into pared to the other sections of the By- Village Center in Charlemont— the mountainous portions of the By- way in Berkshire County. This section along the Byway. way. The shoulder narrows, the road is a two-lane road approximately 2.5 becomes winding, and ascends into the miles long, with a travel lane width typi- mountains. It is only possible to stop cally 24 feet or two 12-foot wide travel on the side of the road at designed pull lanes. The road follows the river and is a off areas. This portion of the road has typical “cut and fill” road, where the a quite distinct layout from the rest of builders “cut” into the ledge or sheer the Byway in Franklin County. upland hills on one side and laid “fill” Table 6.1 summaries the travel lane on the downward slope to create a level and shoulder width of the length of the roadbed. The shoulder widths are 2 to Franklin County section of the byway. 2.5 feet on each side, but vary due to the severe terrain. In general, only one of Berkshire County the shoulders is paved. MHD repaved The road continues winding its way the road during the summer of 2001; along the Cold River and climbs the therefore, the surface is in good to ex- hills of the . The road- cellent condition. way is relatively wide and the condi- The winding ascent into the Hoosac tion is good to excellent for most of Range of the roadway continues the Byway through Berkshire County, through the eastern portion of Florida. especially the eastern portion through One especially notorious curve, at the Savoy and into Florida due to recent confluence of Manning Brook and the repaving. The roadway is owned and Cold River, is known locally as Dead maintained for the most part by Man’s Curve. The road through Florida MHD, except for the section through is approximately seven miles long, with North Adams, which is maintained by a travel lane width of typically 24 feet the city (see Administrative System (or two 12-foot travel lanes) and shoul- map in Appendix 6A). A summary of der widths of typically 1.5 feet on each the road layout for the Berkshire side, and the paving is varied. The road County section of the Byway is in- traverses the mountains, and sparse cluded in Table 6.2. residential development increases From Charlemont the road winds where the terrain temporarily levels out through Savoy. This section of the west of Whitcomb Summit. Past the

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 105 TABLE 6.2 Summary of Road Layout Details in Berkshire County

Travel Central Shoulder Shoulder Width Turning Width surface Start End Start End (ft.) Lane (ft.) (ft.) material Comments 22.1 23.79 Charloment Line Florida 24 - 4 One side Town Line paved 23.79 25.73 Florida South County 24 - 3 One side Narrow shoulder Town Line Road paved in places 25.73 29.74 South County Road Tilda Hill Road 24 - 5 Paved 29.74 29.89 Tilda Hill Road County Road 24 - 12 Paved 29.89 30.90 County Rd. N. Adams Town Line 24 - 6 Paved 30.90 30.93 N. Adams Line Strykers Rd Ext 24 - 6 Paved 30.93 32.00 Strykers Road Clarksburg 24 - 6 Paved Extension Town Line 32.00 32.09 Clarksburg Line N. Adams 28 - 20 Paved Town Line 32.09 33.34 North Adams Old Mohawk Trail 24 - 5 Paved Town Line 33.34 34.09 Old Mohawk Trail Old West Shaft 24 - 6 Paved Has 20 ft. shoulder 34.09 34.58 Old West Shaft East Main Street 24 - 7 Paved 34.58 35.36 East Main Street Gallup Street 24 - 4 Paved Curbed 35.36 35.61 Gallup Street Eagle Street 26 - 7 Paved Curbed 35.61 35.77 Eagle Street Holden Street 44 22 0 Paved Curbed, 4 travel lanes, 2 tuning lanes plus median 35.77 35.96 Holden Street High Street 44 - 4 Paved Curbed, 4 travel lanes, on the bridge 35.96 37.01 High Street Avon Street 28 - 13 Paved Curbed 37.01 37.73 Avon Street New Street 24 11 3 Paved Curbed, 3 lane 37.73 38.20 New Street Phelps Avenue 26 - 6 Paved Curbed, 3 lane section ends at Protection Ave. 38.20 38.60 Phelps Avenue Chantilly Avenue 26 - 7 Paved Curbed 38.60 39.23 Chantilly Avenue Williamstown Line 28 - 6 Paved Curbed 39.23 39.71 Williamstown Line Adams Road 24 11 4 Paved This is a 3 lanes section 39.71 40.14 Adams Road Stratton Rd/ 24 11 5 Paved Curbed, this Colonial Avenue is 3 lanes 40.14 40.33 Stratton Rd/ 0.08 miles west 26 - 6 Paved Curbed Colonial Avenue of Colonial Drive 40.33 40.42 0.08 miles west 0.14 miles east 28 - 5 Paved Curbed of Colonial Drive of Bingham Street 40.42 40.56 0.14 miles east Bingham Street 28 - 3 Paved Curbed of Bingham Street 40.56 40.69 Bingham Street Waterman Place 36 - 4 Paved Curbed

*Source: Based on MassGIS Road Inventory datalayer; field verified and adjusted by BRPC in 2002.

106 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY residential stretch of road, the sharp the most part through to the MAJOR FINDING descent into North Adams and the Williamstown border. Local leaders Valley begins. Travelers The Byway travels through have strongly are aptly warned of the coming descent Williamstown for approximately 2 as the road turns north along the fa- miles. The road widens into a three- voiced their mous “Hairpin Turn.” lane road for the length of the com- support for The descent continues past the turn, mercial corridor, with the middle lane exploring and continues relatively steeply until serving as a left-hand turning lane for aesthetically the center of North Adams. In the vi- both eastbound and westbound traffic. cinity of the Route 8 intersection, the The travel lane width is 24 feet in the pleasing designs Byway travels through a residential two-lane section and is 36 feet in the to help maintain area, and approaches the city center three-lane section, with shoulders of the scenic and where a mix of dense residential and approximately 3.5 feet on each side rural nature of commercial properties line the Byway. The western section of the Byway the Byway. This section of the Byway is locally serves as the town’s main street and called Union Street. The total length pedestrian traffic is heavy due to the of the Byway in North Adams is ap- existence of Williams College in the proximately 8 miles. The travel lane downtown area. The Byway ends at width is 24 to 26 feet throughout the Field Park, which is at the located at city, with shoulders of approximately the junction of Route 7, the predomi- 2.5 feet on each side. At the Eagle nantly north-south artery through Street intersection, the Byway changes Berkshire County. from a two-lane road to a four-lane highway for approximately one-quar- Roadside Features: ter mile. This highway section, includ- Curbing, Guardrails, ing an over Route 8 / Retaining Walls and Signs Marshall Street, was constructed as For the purpose of maintaining the part of an urban renewal project in the scenic qualities of the Byway an assess- early 1970s to divert through traffic ment of roadside features such as - away from Main Street. Route 8 is a ing, guardrails, retaining walls and major north-south artery, connecting signage along the Byway were exam- North Adams to central Berkshire ined. These features are important to County, the City of Pittsfield, and consider in order to ensure that the points south, such as the Massachu- scenic and rural qualities of the corri- setts Turnpike. dor are maintained. West of the overpass, the road re- Curbing is not a major feature along turns to a two-lane road through an the Byway except in the few limited area of dense multi-family houses. Due areas. In the locations where it is used to the sharp terrain, these buildings are it is generally either granite or placed close to the road, with little or curbing installed primarily to channel no front yards. Tight side yards or water into drainage structures. There is driveways exist laterally between a significant stretch of granite curbing buildings. Continuing west, the road for an approximately one-mile long travels through an area of mixed resi- section located at the intersection of dential and commercial properties, in- Mechanic Street and Route 2 near the cluding several strip malls. This land Buckland town line. This intersection use continues through to the down- was reconstructed in 2001, and the town area of Williamstown. Sidewalks work included the installation of the along the Byway appear west of the granite curbing. There is also granite Route 8 intersection and continue for curbing along the section of the road

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 107 used as an alternative to galvanized steel. There may also be opportunities to use steel back timber guardrails, which have a natural look and have been used along other scenic byways across the country as a more aesthetically pleasing alternative. These may be espe- cially appropriate at scenic pullovers. There are a few locations where there are retaining walls along the By- way. There is a large retaining wall that is visually obtrusive located in Franklin County in Charlemont east of the downtown center. The wall is large and Galvinized steel guardrail is located along much of the Byway. constructed of concrete located on the north side of the road in a location very close to the travel lane. Stone re- taining walls such as those discussed in the Alternative Design section of this chapter may be appropriate. Most of the signs along the roadway are standard road signs installed in ac- cordance with the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) and as approved by MHD. There are a few locations where the numerous signs placed close to one another cre- ate confusion. As a motorist ap- in the center of Charlemont. This is proaches South Maple Street in also the only section located directly Shelburne from the east there are a along the Byway in Franklin County large number of directional signs lo- that has a . Curbing is found cated along this stretch of the road. in the more developed areas of Berk- Signs for commercial establishments shire County, specifically in the North located along the Mohawk Trail are Adams downtown and west through generally not overwhelming or de- to Williamstown (see Table 6.2). tracting from the scenic nature of the Overall, there is a considerable route. At this time, the Franklin amount of guardrail along the entire County section of the road has limited Franklin County section of the Byway areas of commercial development. The all of it made of standard galvanized commercial area in Greenfield is steel. Guardrails are an important safety densely developed for a very short dis- feature along the road. Future con- tance (approximately 1⁄4 mile) and this struction work along the route that in- area contains a large number signs for volves replacing guardrail may consider these commercial establishments. replacing the galvanized steel with a Signs in the Berkshire County sec- type of guardrail that is less aestheti- tion of the Byway become more nu- cally unobtrusive. Cor ten steel guard- merous west of the Route 8 rails, a patented guardrail that is intersection in North Adams and con- designed to look rusted, are naturally tinuing west to the intersection of less shiny and thought to blend in more Stratton Road in Williamstown. To with rural landscapes. It is commonly consolidate directional signage to local

108 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 6.3 Some Examples of Alternative Design Techniques and Features (Guardrails, Guardwalls and Retaining Walls)

Alternate Design Technique Description Locations Where Feature has been used Steel-backed Timber Guardrail Wooden rail surface backed George Washington Memorial , VA with reinforced steel. Blue Ridge Parkway, VA Cor ten Steel Guardrails Steel guardrail with a weathered Cor ten steel guardrails have been used or rustic look that blends in with in many locations statewide including the surrounding landscape. Lower Hope Street in Greenfield. Box Beam Rails Box beams located lower than Dumbarton Bridge, Potomac Parkway, usual guardrail allows for view Washington, DC Columbia River Highway Guardrail Whitewashed wooden rail backed Columbia River Highway, OR with reinforced steel Hidden Guardrails Guardrails hidden by In New Jersey roadside vegetation Ironwood Guardrail System The post system utilizes composite rails Watkins Glen, NY that are attached to steel posts set into the soil. The above ground section of each post is covered by timber, which functions as a block-out while also providing an all-wood appearance. “Rockefeller’s Teeth” stone walls Segmented native stone guards Acadia National Park Motor Road, ME Concrete-core The retaining wall has a concrete core Skyline Drive, VA and on Route 66 Stone Masonry Guardwall and native stones are applied to the in Hampshire County, Massachusetts façade for a more natural look. Pre-cast Simulated Stone Wall Pre-cast concrete panels designed, Baltimore Washington Parkway, MD textured, and colored to resemble native stonework

Sources: FHWA, Flexibility in Highway Design, 1997; Marriott, Saving Historic Roads, Policy & Design, 1998; FRCOG, Design Alternatives for Rural Roads.

attractions, the City of North Adams and mark locations of historical sig- recently initiated a way-finding sign nificance, such as the Shunpike in system to such places as the Massachu- Charlemont. During the development setts College of Liberal Arts, the Mas- of the plan, it was noted that several sachusetts Museum of Modern Art, other historically significant locations, and the downtown commercial area. such as the , are not North Adams is the only community designated with signs, and there was an in the Berkshire County section of the interest in installing additional historic Byway with billboards, including one markers to designate the location of of particular interest on Union Street, these sites. However, this interest in which is the eastern gateway to the installing additional signs for histori- city. Local residents have indicated that cally significant sites was qualified they would like to see the billboards with the condition that additional removed, especially if efforts to imple- signs should be installed in a manner ment the Union Street Streetscape to not create a clutter of too many Project move forward (for more infor- signs. The installation of too many mation on the Streetscape Project, see signs along the Byway was expressed the Land Use chapter). as a concern during the public forums There are also historic markers lo- and input sessions. In light of the sce- cated along the Byway. These markers nic nature of the Byway, too many are a standard style along the Byway signs can cause confusion for drivers

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 109 and also detract from the scenic nature mation about the highway design pro- of the roadway. cess in Massachusetts, and what ele- ments of road design can be used to help a project to blend into the rural landscape and retain its natural and his- Alternative Design toric character. This publication was During the development of this Corri- specifically written with the rural nature dor Management Plan, local residents of the roads in have voiced their interest in maintain- in mind. The guide includes informa- ing the aesthetic, historic and rural tion on MassHighway’s effort to estab- qualities of the Byway. This is an im- lish context sensitive design guidelines, portant and valid concern that should reviews the MassHighway 1997 Low be taken into consideration whenever Speed Low Volume design standards, roadway improvement projects are un- examines Bicycle Accommodation as a dertaken. The design of future road- component of Project design, and offers way improvements should include the numerous case examples of road and consideration and application when- bridge projects that are sensitive to the ever possible of context sensitive and specific rural and historic conditions. aesthetically pleasing roadway design. As described throughout this report, This topic has received a lot of at- the Mohawk Trail is a scenic roadway tention in recent years, which is evi- that winds and curves through hilly ter- dent by a number of publications that rain. While this road has developed into have been widely circulated by the an important transportation route, a Federal Highway Administration. concerted effort should be made to Flexibility in Highway Design was maintain the rural character of the road- prepared by the Federal Highway Ad- way during any improvement projects. ministration in 1997, and serve as an In instances where widening and effective guidebook to “explore oppor- straightening the roadway are consid- tunities to use flexible design as a tool ered to improve the flow of traffic and to help sustain important community increase potential speeds, the scenic interests without compromising beauty, historic character and intrinsic safety.” The books provide informa- qualities of the Byway should be con- tion on Federal Highway Administra- sidered as equally important. tion safety requirements, when there is Roadway details such as guardrails, flexibility in design, what more aes- barriers and retaining walls should take thetically pleasing or context appropri- into account the sensitive and historic ate alternatives are available, and what nature of the road. Designs for the most the potential costs for these alterna- context sensitive features should be con- tives. Saving Historic Roads, Design & sidered on a case-by-case basis given the Policy Guidelines written by Paul specific location. Table 6.3 includes some Daniel Marriott is another resource. alternative materials that have been used This document provides several case on other Scenic Byway projects or in studies where local and state interests other locations in Western Massachu- worked together to design historic- setts as more appropriate aesthetically sensitive road improvements. pleasing alternatives to traditional high- In addition, the Franklin Regional way features. It is important to note that Council of Governments has produced technology is constantly evolving and it Design Alternatives for Rural Roads. is important to consider all possible engi- This document was originally written in neering features available. 1994, and has recently been updated. It is a reference guide that provides infor-

110 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY Examples of available alternative safety features: hidden guardrail (left); precast simulated stone wall (below, left); and concrete core with native stone guards (below, right)

While the initial cost of installing pacts should be included in the cost- alternative design features may be benefit analysis. more costly, consideration should be The Massachusetts Executive Of- taken of the long-term durability. A fice of Environmental Affairs has re- comprehensive and long-term cost- cently undertaken a Historic Parkway benefit analysis of the desired tech- Initiative in which two demonstration nique should be conducted to evaluate projects are being completed to im- the true cost of the alternative. For ex- prove historic parkways in the State. ample, the concrete-core masonry One of these projects is to restore the guardrail may have a higher construc- Scenic Byway. This tion costs; however, the durability of project involves rehabilitating and re- concrete and stone can be expected to constructing in a historically accurate outlast that of steel. In addition, the and environmentally sensitive manner aesthetic quality maintained or im- the length of the Byway that is within proved through the construction of the Mt. Greylock State Reservation. roadway features that are more appro- This initiative will restore the struc- priate for the Byway will ensure local tural and aesthetic integrity of historic support and also be a positive influ- stonework, retaining walls, and guard- ence on tourism. These positive im- rails that were first constructed by the

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 111 President Roosevelt’s Civilian Conser- Various studies have indicated that a vation Corps in the 1930s. The goal of pavement regularly maintained in a this project is to repair the road and “good” to “excellent” condition re- improve traffic safety while returning quires one-fourth to one-fifth the the Byway to the look and feel that it maintenance investment of a road that had 70 years ago. To accomplish this, is not maintained until it reaches a several of the techniques mentioned “poor” or “failed” condition, and then above will be investigated. While this is reconstructed. A PMS is intended to roadway’s function as a parkway is dif- provide quantitative information to ferent than Route 2, which does serve assist when budgeting and making de- as a primary transportation route for cisions regarding road repair and main- trucks, it serves as a positive example tenance. where the historic features of the road Route 2 is part of the National are being considered and prioritized Highway System, and with the excep- during the redesign of the roadway. tion of the sections located in North This project will provide invaluable in- Adams and Williamstown, the road is formation on the availability and cost maintained by the Massachusetts of historic and aesthetic roadside fea- Highway Department (MHD). There- tures, perhaps even wooden rail retain- fore, MHD is responsible for conduct- ing walls. The rehabilitation project is ing pavement condition surveys, scheduled for 2003-2004. prioritizing and completing routine maintenance and repairs to the road. TABLE 6.4 MHD utilizes the Automatic Road (PCI) General Rating Categories Analyzer (ARAN), a vehicle that is equipped to assess the pavement con- Pavement Condition Index (PCI) Rating dition as it travels along the road. The 95–100 Excellent FRCOG and BRPC work closely with 85–94 Good MHD to ensure the local communities 65–84 Fair are informed of the results and the schedule for maintenance of the road. 0–64 Poor In the case of the local roads, the FRCOG and BRPC can provide pave- ment management services to the local Pavement Conditions communities on a fee for service basis. and Pavement After the data is collected, a com- puter analysis program is used to rank Management Analysis the condition of the pavement. De- pending on the specific pavement A Pavement Management System analysis software being used, either a (PMS), as defined by the American Pavement Serviceability Index (PSI) or Public Works Association (APWA), is a Pavement Condition Index (PCI) is “a systematic method for routinely assigned to rank the condition of the collecting, storing, and retrieving the pavement. The FRCOG used the PSI kind of decision-making information ranking system for their analysis and needed (about pavement) to make the BRPC used the PCI raking for maximum use of limited maintenance their analysis, and therefore definitions and construction dollars.” Historically, of each ranking is being provided. road maintenance funds were chan- According to the Pavement Service- neled to those roads that were per- ability Index (PSI) the condition of ceived to be in the worst condition, or the pavement is ranked on a scale of 0 where political influence dictated. to 5. A rating of 0 indicates that the

112 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY road is in very poor condition to the will receive localized maintenance as re- point of being impassible by vehicles, quired. A map of the pavement condi- and a rating of 5 indicates a perfectly tions is contained in Appendix 6B. smooth and distress free roadway. At thresholds within this scale, roads are Berkshire County determined to be in poor, fair, good or In the summer of 2001, BRPC con- excellent condition. ducted a pavement management analysis The Pavement Condition Index on Mohawk Trail using the (PCI) scores are on a scale of 100 to Management System (RSMS). RSMS 64, with 100 indicating a perfectly collects data and ranks it based on a PCI. smooth and distress free roadway and The road through the towns of Sa- 0 indicating a roadway in very poor voy and Florida is in excellent and condition to the point of being im- good condition, due to the recent re- passable. A summary of the PCI paving project conducted in 2001 by scores and the associated rankings are MHD. The PCI rating for the newly contained in Table 6.4. paved road through Savoy to South County Road in Florida is Excellent. Franklin County The rating drops to Good between MHD collected the most recent pave- South County Road and Olson Road, ment condition data for the study area and varies between excellent and good in 2001. The pavement condition between Olson Road and the North rankings are contained in the Pave- Adams town line. In the small portion ment Conditions Map for Franklin in Clarksburg, the PCI rating is 90, County, which is included as Appendix which is considered to be good. 6B. The analysis showed that from the The PCI average rating for the road Greenfield Rotary to just west of the between the Hairpin Turn and the Buckland/Charlemont town line the city center in North Adams is 92, roadway was generally categorized as which is considered good, down from in excellent condition. West of this excellent due to the presence of longi- point to the Charlemont/Savoy town tudinal and transverse cracks. The line the roadway was categorized as in section of road between Route 8A fair to poor condition, with the excep- and Route 8 has a PCI of 96, which is tion of the section of the road in the excellent. From Notch Road to Charlemont Village Center and the Harding Avenue the PCI dramatically section between Tower Road and Cold drops to 69, which is only considered River Road which were both catego- to be fair. This reflects the fact that rized as in good condition. there are a lot of and patches Due to the generally fair to poor con- on this section of the Byway. dition of Route 2 in Charlemont the Once in Williamstown, the pave- road has been identified as needing some ment condition improves to a rating of level of rehabilitation. MHD will com- 89, with the road experiencing only mence the design for the reconstruction hair-sized cracks. The condition im- of this approximately 11 miles of road- proves again to excellent, with a rating way in the near future. In the meantime, of 95, between Route 43 to the termi- a 3⁄4 inch layer of asphalt has been laid nus at Field Park. Overall, the average over the existing pavement to provide a rating for the road through Berkshire suitable driving surface until the design County, has been determined to be 90, and rehabilitation is completed. The which is categorized as good. overlay work was completed during the Spring 2002. Sections of the road that are currently in good to excellent condition

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 113 TABLE 6.5 Traffic Count Data from locations along the Mohawk Trail in Franklin County

Past Year Count Most Current Count Average Town—Street/Route Location Year AADT Year AADT AGR Greenfield—Route 2 East of Colrain Road — — 1995 21,500 — Shelburne—Route 2 West of Greenfield Town Line 1995 11,000 2001 12,700 2.42% Shelburne—Route 2 West of Cooper Lane 1996 9,200 1999 9,800 2.13% Shelburne—Route 2 East of Mechanic Street —- — 1997 6,300 — Buckland—Route 2 Charlemont/Buckland Town Line —- — 1997 4,600 — Charlemont—Route 2 West of East Oxbow Road 1996 4,800 2000 4,700 –0.70% Charlemont—Route 2 East of South Street—- — — 1999 4,500 — Charlemont—Route 2 Between School St. & Riddell Rd. —- — 1999 4,800 — Charlemont—Route 2 West of West Hawley Street —- — 1999 3,600 — Charlemont—Route 2 East of Legate Hill Road —- — 1999 3,500 — Charlemont—Route 2 East of Zoar Road 1996 2,900 2001 3,500 3.83%

AADT – Average Annual Daily Traffic; AGR – Annual Growth Rate. Sources: Traffic counts completed by MHD and FRCOG

Vehicular Use and Road- calculate an Average Weekday Traffic way Performance Related (AWT) volume, which was multiplied Statistics along the Byway by a seasonal adjustment factor to pro- duce an Average Annual Daily Traffic Traffic counts are conducted by the (AADT) volume for each location. FRCOG and BRPC within their re- The seasonal adjustment factors are spective regions. In addition, MHD intended to correct irregularities in routinely collects traffic counts on traffic volumes in order to calculate an roads within the State jurisdiction such Average Annual Daily Traffic (AADT) as Route 2. Maintaining a database of volume count that reflects a typical traffic volume counts provides a way day. MHD calculates the seasonal ad- to monitor growth in the Byway area justment factors based on data col- and determine future needs. lected at more than 200 statewide permanent traffic count locations where data is collected 365 days of the Traffic Volumes year. The AADT is used to calculate an Annual Growth Rate (AGR), which Franklin County quantifies the percent of traffic volume growth over time. It is important to The FRCOG and MHD have col- note that while the methodology for lected traffic volume data at a number calculating AADT volumes follows a of locations along and adjacent to the standard procedure, the seasonal ad- Mohawk Trail over the past ten years. justment factors used to calculate the The locations are illustrated on the average Annual Growth Rates (AGR) Transportation Map for Franklin rely on figures compiled from loca- County. This data consists of traffic tions across the State. volumes collected during a period of at Table 6.5 lists the AADT for traffic least two consecutive weekdays. The counts at locations on the Mohawk count data collected was averaged to Trail in Franklin County as well as for

114 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 6.6 Traffic Count Data from locations on the side roads adjacent to the Mohawk Trail in Franklin County

Most Current Count Town—Street/Route Location Year AADT Greenfield—Colrain Road North of Route 2 1997 4,600 Shelburne—Colrain Shelburne Road 1 Mile North of Route 2 1997 1,960 Shelburne—Little Mohawk Road South of Route 2 1993 560 Shelburne—Shelburne Center Rd. South of Route 2 1997 360 Shelburne—Maple Street (Route 2A) West of Route 2 2001 4,200 Shelburne—Mechanic Street South of Route 2 1997 1,550 Shelburne—Mechanic Street South of Hope Street 1998 850 Shelburne—Main Street South of Hope Street 1998 1,480 Shelburne—Route 112 (North) North of Route 2 Bridge 1998 1,510 Buckland—State Street (Route 2A) 3/10 Mile North of North Street 2001 2,300 Buckland—North Street 1/10 Mile North of State Street 1998 1,70 Buckland—Route 112 (South) 1/2 Mile North of High School 1997 4,200 Charlemont—North River Road North of Route 2 1992 2,100 Charlemont—East Oxbow Road 200ft North of Route 2 1998 300 Charlemont—Avery Brook Road 1/10 Mile North of Route 2 2000 590 Charlemont—Route 8A 3/10 Mile South of Warner Hill Rd 1998 740 Charlemont—Legate Hill Road 1/10 Mile North of Route 2 2000 300

AADT—Average Annual Daily Traffic Sources: Traffic counts completed by MHD and FRCOG the AGR for locations where multiple miles further west (12,700), west of counts were conducted during differ- the Greenfield/Shelburne town line. ent years. Table 6.6 contains the The counts at Colrain Road and Route AADT for traffic count location adja- 2 are among the highest in the county. cent to the Mohawk Trail. Each table The traffic volumes decrease incre- includes traffic count data collected mentally traveling west along the By- during the past ten years for the spe- way. Traffic that is traveling to Colrain cific locations. and use Colrain-Shelburne The highest traffic volumes were re- Road. Maple Street is the main access corded at the easternmost locations of into Shelburne Falls for traffic from the Franklin County section of the the east, and Mechanic Street provides Byway. This reflects the count loca- access to Route 112 North. tions’ proximity to Interstate 91 and At four locations along the Mohawk Greenfield, the largest town in the re- Trail the Average Annual Growth Rate gion. The retail and fast food establish- was calculated between the mid 1990s ments just west of the Greenfield and early 2000s. This analysis indicates Rotary attract large numbers of ve- that traffic volumes between Greenfield hicles directly from the Interstate 91 and Shelburne Falls have grown on aver- and Greenfield, and therefore, the traf- age by between 2 and 21⁄2% annually fic volumes at the locations just west over the past five or six years. Between of the rotary (21,500 at Colrain Road) the Buckland/Charlemont town line and are almost twice those recorded two

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 115 Charlemont village center the traffic vol- in the summer of 2001: 1) the Franklin umes have declined on average by just County/Berkshire County border, 2) under one percent (-0.70%) annually. North Adams near the Florida town Between Charlemont Village Center and line, and 3) Williamstown just east of the Charlemont/Savoy town line traffic North Adams line. These counts are volumes have grown an average of al- Average Daily Traffic (ADT) counts most four percent (3.83%) annually. collected during the summer of 2001. These figures are intended to provide The ADT counts are “snapshot” num- a general idea of the volume and growth bers, taken during the summer tourist trends along the Byway. Monitoring the season, while the AADT used by traffic volumes in the future is also an MHD uses seasonal factors to adjust important component of the Byway the counts to an average day. There- and ensuring that the character is pro- fore, the ADT is generally higher. tected and maintained in the future. In the summer of 2001, ADT at the As part of the Franklin County Franklin County/Berkshire County 2000 Regional Transportation Plan, border had an ADT of 1,776 vehicles, data from throughout Franklin which conforms to the AADT count County was compiled and a regional from MHD of 1,600 vehicles at that AGR was calculated. This calculation location in 2000. Traffic counts in- showed an average AGR of almost one crease as you travel west, with an and a half percent (1.4%) for the re- AADT count of 2,800, west of Olsen gion. A permanent count station (au- Road in Florida. The ADT count at tomatic counter that counts 24 hours a the Florida/North Adams border was day 365 days a year) is located on 3,507. These traffic counts reveal that Route 112 at the Ashfield/Buckland the volume of traffic doubles, increas- Town Line. The AGR between 1996 ing by 1,731, between the east and and 2001 at this location was calculated west borders of Florida. Although at just below one percent (0.95%). daily commuters from Florida and This growth rate reflects the true Monroe traveling to North Adams do growth, since it is based on actual account for some of that volume, it AADT volumes. certainly cannot account for all of it, especially considering the small popu- Berkshire County lations of the two communities. A Traffic counts for the Byway in the more detailed study of the traffic pat- Berkshire region were determined by terns and volumes of local roads inter- using two sets of available data, one secting with the Byway is needed to collected by BRPC and one using data determine the source of this increase. from MHD. BRPC collected its traffic Lastly, in Williamstown the AADT counts at three locations along Route 2 just east of North Adams line is much

TABLE 6.7 Traffic Count Data from locations along the Mohawk Trail in Berkshire County

Past Year Count Most Current Count Town Location Year AADT Year AADT Savoy/Florida Franklin/Berkshire County line 2000 1,600 2001 1,776 Florida West of Olsen Rd 2000 2,800 2001 — Florida/North Adams Municipal border 2000 — 2001 3,507 Williamstown Just east of North Adams city line 2000 15,800 2000 17,300

*Source: MHD. **Source: BRPC.

116 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY larger, at 15,800 vehicles. This com- the worst and have the following gen- pares with the ADT count collected by eral definitions: BRPC of 17,300 in 2000. LOS A – Describes the highest qual- ity of service, when drivers are able to drive at their desired speed. The pass- ing frequency required to maintain Level of Service these speeds has not reached a de- Analysis manding level with drivers delayed less than 40 percent of the time. Level of Service (LOS) analysis quanti- LOS B – The demand for passing to fies how well a section of roadway is maintain desired speeds becomes sig- operating under peak hour traffic vol- nificant, with drivers being delayed in umes based on the driver’s expecta- platoons (multiple vehicles following tions. In other words, this closely) up to 50 percent of the time. classification is based on calculating LOS C – Traffic volumes are increas- the quality or efficiency of the traffic ing, resulting in a noticeable increase in flow for the motorist. The delay is cal- platoon formation and size. Passing op- culated based on the difference be- portunities begin to become infrequent tween the travel time actually although traffic flow remains stable, in experienced and the travel time that that reasonable travel speed is main- would have been experienced under tained. Slow moving and turning traffic ideal road conditions. The Highway may cause congestion. Time spent fol- Capacity Manual provides a methodol- lowing other vehicles will be likely up ogy for calculating the LOS for rural to 65 percent of the time. two-lane roadways such as the LOS D – Traffic flow is unstable and Mohawk Trail. Two-lane highways are the opposing flows begin to operate categorized into two classes for this separately as passing opportunities be- analysis. Class 1 applies to two-lane come very limited. Passing demand is highways that motorists expect to high, but passing capacity approaches travel at relatively high speeds. This zero. Turning vehicles and roadside classification generally applies to major distractions cause major interruptions intercity routes, primary arterials con- in the traffic stream. Platoon size in- necting major traffic generators, daily creases to between 5 and 10 vehicles commuter routes or primary links in on average delaying vehicles up to 85% state or national highway networks. of the time. Class 2 applies to two-lane highways LOS E – Average travel speeds will where motorists do not necessarily ex- likely be less than 40 miles per hour pect to travel at high speeds. This clas- and greater than 85 percent of the time sification generally applies to roadways is spent in platoons behind slower or that serve as scenic or recreational turning vehicles as passing becomes routes that are not primary arterials. virtually impossible. The Level of Service calculation ana- LOS F – Traffic flow is heavily con- lyzes the geometry of the road, peak gested as traffic demand exceeds the hour traffic volumes and environmen- capacity of the roadway. tal conditions, including the lane and In general, it is desirable to maintain shoulder widths, amount of available traffic conditions at a LOS C or better. passing, and the mix of vehicle types in order to calculate the performance rat- Franklin County ing. LOS is based on a scale “A” A LOS analysis was completed using through “F”. “A” is the best and “F” both a Class 1 and Class 2 analysis (de- scribed above) for the Franklin County

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 117 TABLE 6.8 Average Speeds along the Byway Between the I-91 Rotary and the Savoy Town Line.

Westbound Eastbound Average Average Segment Speed Speed Between I-91 Rotary and Ames Plaza 24 MPH 24 MPH 35 MPH Between Ames Plaza Driveway and Shelburne Town Line 46 MPH 52 MPH 50 MPH Between Shelburne Town Line and Colrain Shelburne Road 49 MPH 50 MPH 50 MPH Between Colrain Shelburne Road and Maple Street (Route 2A) 50 MPH 48 MPH 50 MPH Between Maple Street (Route 2A) and North River Road 50 MPH 49 MPH Ranges between 45 MPH and 50 MPH Between North River Road and East End of Charlemont Village 51 MPH 49 MPH Ranges between 40 MPH and 50 MPH Through Charlemont Village 34 MPH 32 MPH 30 MPH Between West end of Charlemont Village and Zoar Road 51 MPH 52 MPH Ranges between 45 MPH and 50 MPH Between Zoar Road and Savoy Town Line 50 MPH 53 MPH Ranges between 30 MPH and 50 MPH Average of Whole Route 48 MPH 48 MPH

Source: Travel time runs completed by the FRCOG in May/June 2002

section of the Byway. The analysis indi- by the Highway Capacity Manual, cated low LOS rankings for the entire which is widely accepted and described roadway ranging from C to E depend- in the preceding section of this report) ing on the specific location and whether considers ability to pass slow moving it was analyzed as a Class 1 or a Class 2 vehicles as a major indicator of the roadway. The discrepancy between the road’s performance. West of Shelburne results of the analysis and the actual ex- Falls the poor LOS rankings were re- periences while driving the road led to a lated to the geometric and environmen- closer consideration of the LOS proce- tal conditions on the road. The narrow dure and the limitations of using this and winding nature of the roadway lim- methodology on a more rural and sce- its the maximum speed to below what nic type of roadway. would be expected on a Class 1 Generally LOS analysis employs a roadway. standard procedure to analyze many The anecdotal information dis- types of roads. It became apparent that cussed at the numerous public meet- this system is not well suited to accu- ings held during the development of rately representing a driver’s experience the report, actual site visits and infor- on a rural type road that serves as a pri- mation from previously completed mary regional transportation route such traffic reports in the area indicated that as the Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway. Be- most of the regular Byway users do tween Greenfield and Shelburne the not experience travel at the poor level poor LOS rankings were related to the described in the LOS analysis results. volume of traffic, and the limited op- For the most part travel at the road’s portunities for passing slower vehicles. posted speed limits is not a problem. The methodology for calculating the There are limited peak times when LOS (the systematic analysis defined higher levels of traffic volumes can

118 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 6.9 Volume/Capacity Ratio in Franklin County

Volume/Capacity Segment From To Ratio 1West of Rotary—Greenfield Colrain Shelburne Road—Shelburne 0.46 2 Colrain Shelburne Road—Shelburne Maple Street—Shelburne 0.37 3 Maple Street—Shelburne North River Road—Charlemont 0.21 4 North River Road—Charlemont East end of Charlemont Village Center 0.18 5 East end of Charlemont Village Center Route 8A South—Charlemont 0.15 6Route 8A South—Charlemont Savoy Town Line 0.18

Source: FRCOG slow the travel times. Consequently, ments the average speeds were slightly travel time runs were completed in or- above the posted speed limits, con- der to further analyze the roadway’s firming the perceptions that the road is conditions. functioning well. The only segment The travel time for the roadway dur- that had speeds significantly lower ing peak periods were measured to than the posted speed limit was be- confirm the perceptions that average tween the I-91 rotary and the Ames speeds at or above the speed limits Plaza driveway in Greenfield. This is were maintained during peak periods. the most congested segment of the Timing stations, producing segments Byway in Franklin County where mul- similar to those used in the LOS analy- tiple driveways provide access to gas sis, were identified and the route was stations and retail stores and a traffic driven three times in each direction signal controls the intersection of during the peak traffic periods (be- Route 2 and Colrain Road. Much of tween 4:00 and 6:00 PM). Where pos- the reduced average speed through this sible the driver of the test vehicle segment was caused by delays incurred joined a line of traffic, noting the time at the traffic signal. to travel each segment. Average speed Also, average speeds up the steep for each segment was calculated with incline from the Ames Plaza driveway the three runs providing an error of ± to the Greenfield/Shelburne town line 2 MPH with a 95% confidence level. were slightly below the posted speed This means that the three samples con- limits as larger vehicles tended to slow ducted are statistically representative the traffic flow. This may indicate the of what you would expect if additional need for a westbound at travel time runs were conducted. Table this location for slow moving vehicles 6.8 shows the average speed from the as they currently often use the break- three runs in each direction along with down lane. On the east end of the By- the posted speed limits for each way between the I-91 rotary and segment. Maple Street (Route 2A) into The results of the travel time runs Shelburne Falls, travel was generally in show that an average speed of 48 miles a line of vehicles, where speeds were per hour (MPH) was maintained in dictated by the lead vehicle. West of each direction along the whole 22.5 this point few vehicles were encoun- miles from the Interstate-91 rotary in tered and travel speeds were generally Greenfield to the Charlemont/Savoy dictated by the drivers level of com- town line. For the majority of the seg- fort. This information is contained in

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 119 TABLE 6.10 Level of Service (LOS) and Volume/Capacity Analysis Results for Berkshire County

Volume/Capacity Segment From To Class* LOS* Ratio 7 Berkshire/Franklin border S. County Rd., Florida II A .07 8 S. County Rd., Florida Moore Road, Florida II A .11 9 Moore Road, Florida W. Shaft Rd, N. Adams II A .01 10 W. Shaft Rd., N. Adams Route 8A, N. Adams II A .10 11 Route 8A, N. Adams Route 8, N. Adams Multilane A — 12 Route 8, N. Adams Notch Rd., N. Adams I E .44 13 Notch Rd., N. Adams Williamstown Town line I D .22 14 Williamstown Town line Route 7, Williamstown I D .28

*Source: BRPC.

the transportation map for Franklin Franklin County County in Appendix 6C. It can be seen that the more heavily traveled sections of the Mohawk Trail between Greenfield and Shelburne are Roadway operating at 46% of the available ca- pacity during peak periods and west of Capacity Analysis Shelburne Falls they it is at less than 20% of the roadway capacity. The capacity of a roadway is defined as the maximum number of vehicles that can pass a point on a roadway per hour. Berkshire County For two-lane highways the capacity As mentioned previously, the LOS for has been determined to be 3,200 ve- a Class I commercial route is different hicles per hour in both directions. To than that of a Class II scenic and recre- determine how close to capacity a ational route. Drivers routinely travel- roadway is, the peak hour volume is ing a Class I routes expect wide roads divided by the capacity to produce the and higher traffic volumes, while driv- volume/capacity or “v/c” ratio. A v/c ers traveling a Class II route expect ratio equal to 1.00 indicates a roadway scenery and lower traffic volumes. The operating at maximum performing ca- Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway is a mix of pacity. In general, a lower the v/c ratio these classes, busy and commercial at reflects a less congested roadway and the eastern and western ends and more therefore a more enjoyable route to relaxed in the rural communities of drive. The v/c ratio for the Mohawk Buckland, Charlemont and Florida. Trail in Franklin County is included in Because of these disparities, different Table 6.9. The v/c ratio for the Berk- segments of the Byway were evaluated shire County section of the Byway is for their dominant geometry (shoulder included in the Level of Service Table width, travel lane width, etc.) and traf- 6.10. The data printout for the Level of fic volume. As such, Segments 7, 8, 9 Service and capacity analysis for the and 10 were evaluated using Class II Berkshire County section of the By- criteria, while Segments 12, 13, and 14 way is included in Appendix 6D. were evaluated using Class I criteria. Segment 11 was evaluated using the

120 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY multi-lane methodology because it is a four-lane highway. Safety Analysis As can be seen in Table 6.10, the and Crash Data LOS for the much of the Berkshire County section of the Scenic Byway is The National Highway Traffic Safety excellent to good, and the traffic vol- Administration refers to motor vehicle ume is well below capacity. Travel is collisions as “crashes”. The crash data smooth, traffic volume is generally was reviewed to determine if there are low, and stopping for stopped or turn- any locations along the Byway have a ing vehicles is seldom. In fact, the LOS high number of crashes that are related is so good, that local citizens living to the roadway geometry or other fac- along the roadway in Florida have tor that could be corrected in order to voiced concern with the high speed at prevent crashes in the future. Crash which commuting and commercial ve- data is available from the Massachu- hicles travel. This is especially a con- setts Registry of Motor Vehicles cern in the residentially settled and (RMV) and also local police depart- relatively level straightaway west of the ments. The Massachusetts’ Law re- Whitcomb Summit. quires that within 5 days of the crash, The section of the roadway that re- all vehicular crashes that results in ceived the lowest score is that between $1,000 or more of property damage, or the Route 8 intersection to Notch an injury or a fatality must be reported Road in North Adams (Segment 12), to the Massachusetts Registry of Mo- which is operating at 44% of available tor Vehicles (RMV) and the local Po- capacity. Other sections that are less lice Department using a standardized than adequate is the western portion of Motor Vehicle Crash Operator Report the Byway, where strip mall develop- form. The RMV maintains a database ment is prevalent west of Notch Road from these crash reports. and frequent pedestrian crossings stall traffic in downtown Williamstown. It Franklin County is important to note that these sec- Greenfield tions of roadway are failing, especially given the fact that they were rated us- An analysis of crash data for the By- ing the Class I (commercial route) way corridor in Franklin County was completed. For the section of the By- methodology and not the Class II rat- ing, which was used in the more rural way that is located in Greenfield, the areas. Therefore, the developed strip analysis utilized crash data collected as a part of the Downtown Greenfield between North Adams and Williamstown is beginning to fail its Circulation Study completed by the function of serving as a commercial FRCOG in May 1999. RMV crash data was used for the sections of the route. Notwithstanding the relative ease of Byway located in Shelburne, Buckland traveling the roadway, some residents and Charlemont. The accident data collected as a part have complained about the limited number and spatial dispersion of pass- of the Downtown Greenfield Circula- ing lanes along the Byway. It can be tion Study was used because it provides the most accurate crash data summary frustrating to follow commercial trucks or unusually slow drivers with- for the Greenfield section of the By- out ample opportunities to pass. way Study Area. As a part of the Downtown Greenfield Circulation Study, individual crash reports were re- viewed for the three-year period 1996

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 121 TABLE 6.11 Crash Statistics along Route 2 for the three-year period, 1998 through 2000

Shelburne Buckland Charlemont Total Average Number of Reported Crashes per year 27 4 18 49

Crash Severity Property damage Only 16 3 9 28 Injury 11 1 8 20 Fatality 0 0 1 1

Crash Type Single Vehicle 14 1 10 25 Multiple Vehicle 13 3 8 24

Road Conditions Snowy/Icy 4 1 3 8 Wet 5 1 4 10 Dry 17 2 10 29 Unknown 1 0 1 2

Light Conditions Daylight 18 2 12 32 Dark 7 1 5 13 Dawn or Dusk 1 1 1 3 Unknown 1 0 0 1

Month Occurred January 2 0 2 4 February 2 0 1 3 March 3 0 2 5 April 2 0 1 3 May 2 0 2 4 June 3 0 2 5 July 3 0 2 5 August 1 0 2 3 September 2 0 0 2 October 2 0 2 4 November 3 1 2 6 December 3 1 2 6

Source: Registry of Motor Vehicles

122 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY through 1998. Below is a summary of LOCATION: The intersection of Route the crash data and findings for loca- 2, Colrain and Robbins Road tions along the Mohawk Trail. This intersection is located 400 feet west of the rotary. This intersection LOCATION: The rotary at the was reconfigured and a traffic signal intersection of Interstate 91, was installed in the fall of 1997 as part Route 2 and Route 2A in Greenfield of the mitigation measures to accom- Accident Trends for period from 1996 modate the increased traffic to be gen- to 1998: erated as the result of the construction ■ 82 crashes were reported. of BJ’s Wholesale Club built on ■ 60% of the crashes resulted in prop- Colrain Road. The crash analysis con- erty damage, and the other 40% re- ducted as part of the Greenfield Circu- sulted in injury to one or more of lation Study concluded that the those involved. frequency and severity of crashes at ■ 50% (41 crashes) of those crashes the intersection did not drop after the occurred on the Route 2A approach installation of the traffic signal. leading from Downtown Greenfield. Accident Trends for period from 1996 ■ 25% (20 crashes) occurred on the to 1998: Route 2 approach from the west. ■ 13 crashes were reported during the ■ 25% (21 crashes) occurred on the 2-year period 1996 to 1997 (prior to two exit ramps from Interstate 91. reconfiguration of the intersection The rotary was ranked as the third and installation of traffic signal). most hazardous intersection in ■ 7 crashes were reported in the year Franklin County (FRCOG, 2000) and (1998) following the signal’s is recommended for a more in depth installation. analysis to identify mitigation mea- ■ This intersection was ranked the sures that could be implemented to re- twenty-ninth in a list of the thirty duce the number of crashes. most hazardous intersections in Generally, the large size of the ro- Franklin County (FRCOG, 2000). tary, the high speeds with which cars travel through it, and the fact that driv- LOCATION: The Entrance ers are often unfamiliar with the traffic to the FoodMart Plaza pattern makes them prone to high Accident Trends for period from 1996 crash frequency. The majority (94%) to 1998: of the crashes were of the rear-end ■ 8 crashes were reported at this loca- type, which a large number of crashes tion appeared to occur when a vehicle ■ 3 crashes were reported at the en- stopped to yield to circulating traffic trance to the Big Y/Ames Plaza and the following vehicle was either The road configuration and traffic following too close, traveling too fast volumes, makes it difficult to exit or not paying attention. these plazas during certain periods of There is a concentration of retail the day. Since this data was collected, stores, fast food restaurants and gas additional commercial establishments stations to the immediate west of the (fast food restaurants and a gas sta- rotary (at Interstate 91, Route 2, and tion) have been opened. In addition, Route 2A) for approximately 1⁄2 mile. the FoodMart grocery store has The high traffic volumes and the nu- closed. Big Y is planning to move its merous retail establishments located grocery store from the Big Y/Ames on both sides of the road with many Plaza (on the South side of Route 2) to entrance/exit point raises the potential the old FoodMart store location (on for crashes. the North side of Route 2). The now

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 123 vacant Big Y location has the potential avoid a collision with another vehicle or to attract another large-scale high traf- object in the roadway. fic commercial use. The other half of the crashes in- This area of concentrated commer- volved collisions between two or more cial activity and turning movements vehicles. “Angle” and “Rear-end” type warrants a more detailed analysis of crashes were the most common mul- crashes and traffic operations. tiple vehicle crashes reported. Angle crashes generally involve a turning ve- Summary of Registry of hicle (making a left-turn for example) Motor Vehicle Crash Statistics from one direction colliding with or for the towns of Shelburne, being hit by a vehicle coming from the Buckland and Charlemont opposite direction and is most com- The most up to date RMV crash data mon at intersections. Rear-end crashes available was for the period 1998 generally involve two vehicles traveling through 2000. The crash data for this in the same direction, the first vehicle period was reviewed for the towns of slows to make a turn and the following Shelburne, Buckland and Charlemont. driver does not react in time and hits The crash reports analyzed were re- the back of the first vehicle. ported as occurring on Route 2 be- Almost 60% of the crashes occurred tween the Greenfield/Shelburne Town under dry road conditions and 65% Line and the Charlemont/Savoy Town occurred during the daylight hours. Line. Table provides general statistics The crashes were evenly distributed averaged over the three-year period throughout the year with no month of from the reported crashes that oc- the year seeing a substantially higher curred along the Mohawk Trail in number of crashes than any of the oth- Shelburne, Buckland and Charlemont. ers. There were an average of 49 re- As noted above, the descriptions of ported crashes per year along this sec- the crash locations are often vague be- tion of the Mohawk Trail. ing reported only as occurring on Approximately 60% of the crashed Route 2. However, a number of the resulted in property damage and 40% reports did provide details such as an resulted in some kind of injury to one intersecting street. For these more de- or more of those involved. For this tailed reports, the crash data was re- three-year period, 2 fatalities were re- viewed to identify any specific ported (one in September of 1998 and locations that may have elevated oc- one in June of 1999). Both of these currences of crashes. A summary by crashes were reported as occurring town of this analysis is detailed below: along the Mohawk Trail in Charlemont. However, the location Shelburne descriptions did not provide any spe- In Shelburne two intersections were cific details. identified as having an elevated occur- Approximately half of the crashes rence of crashes. during this three-year period involved a LOCATION: Mohawk Trail single vehicle that left the road and col- and Maple Street (Route 2A) lided with some kind of fixed object This is the main access into Shelburne such as a guardrail, tree or telephone Falls for traffic traveling from the East. pole. Often this type of crash occurs This intersection is one of the busiest when a vehicle is being driven at a speed intersections, with respect to traffic inappropriate for the road conditions, volumes. the driver is under the influence of alco- Summary of Accident Trends from hol or the driver takes evasive action to 1998 to 2000.

124 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY ■ There were a total of eight crashes. Buckland ■ Five of these involved property Only a little more that one half mile of damage only and three injuries. the Mohawk Trail travels through the ■ Seven of the crashes involved mul- town of Buckland. However, within tiple vehicles. that section of the road three separate ■ Five were rear-end type, one angle roadways intersect with it. These roads and the other two not specified. are State Street (Route 2A), Creamery Avenue and the Route 112 (South) LOCATION: Route 2 and connector. A total of eleven crashes Old Greenfield Road occurred along this section of Route 2 Accident Trends from 1998 to 2000. over the three-year period, which aver- ■ There were four crashes. ages to fewer than four per year. A closer review revealed that the crashes were not directly related to LOCATION: Mohawk Trail the geometry of the intersection, as and State Street four of the five crashes were single In 2000 the FRCOG completed a vehicle crashes. Old Greenfield more in depth analysis of county-wide Road intersects the Mohawk Trail at crash data from 1995 through 1997 a relatively sharp curve. Two of these (FRCOG, 2000), which ranked the in- crashes occurred under “snowy” tersection of the Mohawk Trail and road conditions, and one under State Street in Buckland as the six- “wet” road conditions, indicating teenth most hazardous intersection in that drivers may have been driving the County, primarily due to the sever- too fast for the road conditions and ity of crashes occurring at the intersec- lost control. tion. More recent data indicates that this intersection would not receive a LOCATION: Mohawk Trail and similar ranking due to a lower number Colrain-Shelburne Road and severity of the crashes between Accident Trends from 1998 to 2000. 1998 and 2000. Only two crashes, both ■ This intersection has also been resulting in property damage were re- raised as a hazardous intersection. ported as occurring at this intersec- However, only two crashes were tion. specifically identified as occurring at this location during the three-year LOCATION: Mohawk Trail period. and Route 112 (South) ■ In the fall of 2001, MHD District 1 Three crashes were reported to have undertook a brief traffic study of occurred at the intersection of the this intersection. The study in- Mohawk Trail and the Route 112 cluded a review of crash data, a ca- (south) connector. Again, the low pacity/delay analysis of the number and severity of crashes would operation of the intersection as well not rank this intersection as a hazard- as observations of the traffic opera- ous one. tion and geometric conditions. The Charlemont study concluded that the intersec- In Charlemont, the crash location de- tion was operating safely and effi- scriptions were quite vague. In 2000, ciently in accordance with their all fifteen reported crashes did not standards and that no special treat- provide a location description other ment was warranted. The report than the crash occurred on Route 2. stated that MHD would continue to The crash data for 1998 and 1999 pro- monitor the intersection for any un- vide a slightly better level of detail. usual crash patterns. Route 8A intersects the Mohawk Trail

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 125 TABLE 6.12 Crash Statistics along Route 2 for the ten-year period, 1990 through 1999

Byway Community Savoy Florida Clarksburg North Adams Williamstown Total Number of Reported Crashes 43 120 20 783 356 1,322

Crash Severity Property damage Only 23 72 13 475 204 787 Injury 20 43 7 285 144 499 Fatality 0 3 0 2 1 6 Crash Type Single Vehicle 34 71 13 179 64 361 Multiple Vehicle 9 49 7 604 292 961

Road Conditions Snowy/Icy 7 30 1 113 25 176 Wet 28 35 6 188 88 345 Dry 8 52 13 468 234 775 Unknown 0 3 0 14 6 23

Light Conditions Daylight 30 75 15 532 263 915 Dark 10 33 5 199 66 313 Dawn or Dusk 3 10 0 42 13 68 Unknown 0 2 0 10 14 26

Source: MassGIS “Allaccid 9909” datalayer, verified by BRPC.

in Charlemont Village Center at two Intersections recommended for locations. Route 8A from the north in future monitoring or further study the center of the village and from the ■ Commercial area to the west of the south on the western edge of the vil- Rotary in at the intersection of lage. Two crashes were described as Route 2, Interstate 91, and Route occurring at the intersection of the 2A in Greenfield. Mohawk Trail and Route 8A south and ■ Safe access to the commercial and one at Route 2 and Route 8A north. retail establishments along the east- 1 An additional four crashes have the ernmost ⁄2 mile of the Byway is of description of Route 8A, but do not concern. It is often difficult for ve- specify which of the two intersections. hicles to make left turns out of the Five of the seven crashes involved large-scale retail establishments lo- property damage only and, the other cated on both sides of Route 2. two resulted in injuries to one or more ■ Intersection of Route 2 (Mohawk of those involved. Concerns about the Trail)/Colrain-Shelburne Road in intersection at Route 8A south have Shelburne been raised and although this crash ■ Intersection of Route 2 (Mohawk data is inconclusive, a more detailed Trail)/Route 2A (South Maple review may be warranted. Street) in Shelburne

126 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY ■ Intersection of Route 2 (Mohawk cidents). As a reminder that not all ac- Trail)/ Route 2A (State Street) in cidents can be blamed on wet weather Buckland conditions, 30 out of the 43 occurred during dry weather conditions. Berkshire County Williamstown was a second area of Sections of the Berkshire County sec- high accident rates, with 27% of the to- tion of Byway, are famous for dramatic tal accidents reported. Of the 356 accidents. The Hairpin Turn is espe- crashes, 62 occurred at the Main Street cially known for the truck that / North Street intersection, which is the rammed into the front door of the intersection at the eastern end of Field Golden Eagle restaurant and the fuel Park. Of those, 44 (60%) occurred dur- truck that ran into the bedrock out- ing daylight hours and dry weather. crop and burst into flames, killing the This intersection is part of an unusually driver. In addition, the curve at the designed rotary with poor signage, and confluence of Manning Brook and the because this is the intersection of two Cold River is locally known as “Dead main arteries in northern Berkshire Man’s Curve” for the number of un- County (Route 2/Main Street and suspecting drivers who have gone over Route 7/North Street), the high inci- the edge due to driver error or a sud- dence of accidents can be partially at- den shift in the load of the truck. A tributed to tourists unaccustomed to third site of recent accidents is a sharp the traffic flow. This area is of concern turn just below and east of the Eastern to the Town, as noted in the Transpor- Summit. Driving west, this right-hand tation section of the Draft Master Plan curve comes up suddenly on drivers in for Williamstown, Massachusetts. In an an area where the past several hundred effort to remedy the situation, the feet of road is relatively straight and Draft Master Plan includes preliminary drivers have gained speed and confi- designs to reconfigure Field Park and dence. Because the curve sneaks up on redesign the intersection. drivers, local residents would like to see more additional warning signs placed ahead of the curve. Although they are not advocating the elaborate type of signage that is placed near the and Traffic Flow Hairpin Turn, it does not seem unrea- sonable to consider some additional Franklin County signs appropriate to the site. Traffic calming strives to achieve a better In Berkshire County, there were balance between the needs of the motor 1,322 accidents within the Byway vehicle and other modes of transporta- Study Area between 1990 and 1999, tion such as bicycles and pedestrians and according to registry records. There in the process often creates a more pleas- are two areas along the Byway that are ing environment that would support and the scene of a significant percentage of complement the scenic qualities that crashes. In all, 59% of the crashes oc- make it a scenic byway. curred in North Adams. The intersec- tion of Eagle Street and Union Street Traffic Calming through had a relatively high number of acci- Charlemont Village Center dents within this period, with a total A 1.2-mile section of the Mohawk Trail number of 43. Of those, 67% involved travels through the Charlemont Village Property Damage (29 accidents) and Center. The Town has expressed an in- 30% involved Injury Accidents (13 ac- terest in implementing roadway design measures aimed at reducing the speeds

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 127 of vehicles traveling through the village count data and discuss traffic calming. center on the Mohawk Trail. The MHD began preliminary work on the Mohawk Trail is part of the National design of Route 2 at the end of the Highway System, is maintained by summer in 2000. In August 2000, the MHD and carries moderate traffic vol- FRCOG facilitated a meeting with umes. Therefore, the road design must MHD, the town and local business comply with design standards that are owners to discuss the issues of con- stricter than those for a road with lower cern and potential solutions. MHD traffic volumes and is maintained by a left that meeting with a list of poten- town. The village center is also part of tial measures to investigate further. the Charlemont Village Historic Dis- These measures include: gateway trict, and therefore any work must be treatments (islands placed in the cen- completed in a manner that is sensitive ter of the roadway) which notify driv- to this designation. ers of a change in the surrounding In April 1999 the Charlemont environment in which they should Selectboard expressed an interest to slow their speed; pedestrian refuges the FRCOG in participating in a study (islands at crosswalks) which shorten to evaluate traffic calming measures, the distance that pedestrians must MAJOR FINDING specifically to reduce vehicle speeds in cross and also narrow the roadway Traffic and the village center. At that time MHD thereby causing the motorists to re- congestion is a District 1 anticipated starting the de- duce their speeds; and various line concern in some sign work for the rehabilitate of Route painting and pavement treatments to 2 in Charlemont in the near future. make the crosswalks more conspicu- areas (notably Consequently, the exploration of traf- ous to drivers and the travel lanes ap- in Greenfield, fic calming measures through pear narrower, thus inducing slowing Shelburne Falls Charlemont Village Center and the down. In October 2000, a site visit was and the design of the roadway reconstruction organized with the participants of the North Adams/ were coupled together. August 2000 meeting to specifically In July 1999 the FRCOG con- look at crosswalk locations within the Williamstown ducted traffic counts at three locations village center. This site visit identified strip). within the Town Center that showed potential new crosswalk locations and 85th percentile1 speeds between 8 mph improvements to sidewalk connectiv- and 20 mph above the 30 mph speed ity that MHD would investigate incor- limit. This data confirmed the percep- porating into the design. tion expressed that vehicles are travel- Between the fall of 2000 and the ing at excessive speeds through the spring of 2002 the project was put on village center. In August 1999, the hold, and little work was completed on FRCOG met with MHD District 1 to the design. The design of a Park and discuss traffic calming measures and Ride lot at the eastern edge of their applicability to Route 2. In No- Charlemont that was originally to be vember 1999, the FRCOG met with included with the redesign of the whole the Selectboard to present the traffic length of Route 2 has been put on a fast schedule for completion and is

1 85th percentile speed indicates the speed at currently under design. It is expected which 85 percent of the recorded vehicles that this design will be completed by were going at or below. The 85th percentile mid-2002, and that sometime during speed “….is the principal value used for the summer or fall of 2002 the design establishing speed controls. This method assumes that the majority of motorists are will begin on the larger project, which prudent and capable of selecting safe includes the village center. speeds….” – MHD Procedures for speed zoning on State and Municipal Roadways, 1998.

128 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY Berkshire County ■ Physical design of roadways and driveways Corridor Access Management ■ Physical design to control traffic along the North Adams – operations. Williamstown Commercial Strip Four case study areas, each repre- Residents and business owners along the senting a specific access problem, were commercial area on Route 2 between selected along the Byway to illustrate North Adams and Williamstown have Access Management techniques. voiced their concerns about the increase These case studies documented cur- in traffic congestion, the increase in dif- rent access management problems, ficulty in exiting driveways and side analyzed potential solutions, and rec- streets, and the decrease in traffic flow ommended access management tech- along this stretch of Route 2. This is a niques to remedy the problems. For result of the increase in commercial the most part, the Access Management businesses located along the road or on techniques that were recommended side streets intersecting with the road. were design techniques. Aerial photo- These businesses generate traffic, which graphs of the four case study sites interacts and slows down the already were prepared to document existing high volume of local and through traffic conditions and recommended im- on this busy local artery. This concern provements. The sections of road rep- has recently been publicly restated in resent different types of conditions, Williamstown as local leaders and resi- which are common in many other dents work to develop a new Master Berkshire County communities. They Plan for the town. are briefly described below and a more Access Management is the coordi- detailed narrative of each case study nation of land use controls and design and recommendations to improve cur- standards with roadway design and in- rent conditions are included in Appen- frastructure to ensure that existing and dix 6E. future land uses are accessible and the road provides safe and adequate traffic 1. Dense Residential Section operations. Access Management mea- with traffic speed and sures generally fall into two categories: pedestrian safety concerns Policy (Regulatory) Techniques and LOCATION: Rt. 2 between High Geometric (Design) / Traffic Opera- Street and Brown Street, tions Techniques. North Adams Regulatory Techniques are land use This is a densely settled residential measures exercised by local permit area where local access competes with granting authorities and include these through traffic. The speed limit here is control measures: 35 mph, but vehicles routinely travel ■ Statutory authority to limit access faster. Sight distance is limited. Park- to certain highways (driveway per- ing is only allowed on the north side mits) of the road and many houses have ■ Zoning bylaws little on-site parking, so residents ■ Subdivision Regulations regularly walk across the highway to ■ Site Plan Review and from their cars. Design Techniques include mea- Recommendations include tech- sures to control vehicular movement niques to: increase crosswalk visibility, in the roadway area, including mea- enhance pedestrian visibility, and sures to facilitate traffic flow and con- heighten speed limit awareness. trol turning movements, such as:

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 129 2. Residential/Commercial uses avenues. The alignments at each end of with pedestrian safety concerns Roberts Drive may make the intersec- tions more dangerous than they would LOCATION: Rt. 2 between be otherwise. This cut through traffic Demond Avenue and may be partially attributed to the traffic Greylock Avenue, North Adams volumes and congestion that currently This section of Route 2 is a mix of resi- exists along this portion of the Byway. dential, commercial and industrial Recommendations include tech- uses. Many of the commercial uses are niques to: improve flow of traffic on high traffic generators, such as the Route 2, add signs rerouting cut- Price Chopper supermarket, a conve- through traffic on less residential road, nience store and fast food restaurants. and signs and structures to discourage Dense subdivisions of modest post- or prohibit turning vehicles. WWII homes are located on both sides of the Byway. The road here is three 4. Strip mall development and lanes wide (two travel lanes and a cen- pedestrian safety concerns ter turning lane) with shoulders. Local LOCATION: Rt. 2 in the Colonial residents have stated that crossing the Village Plaza/Adams Road area, street on foot or bicycle to access the Williamstown commercial businesses and restaurants This area has primarily been developed is dangerous; the road is wide with no in the last thirty years. The original low- refuge and the high number of side density strip development has become streets and driveways make it a busy more dense, almost an outgrowth of section of road with a high number of the developed part of town. Route 2 turning movements. still looks like a low-density highway Greylock Avenue was recently the even though its usage seems character- scene of a pedestrian fatality, and as istic of a more developed area. On one such there is political and local interest side of the road there is a large rehabili- in pedestrian safety improvements. tation/assisted living housing center Recommendations include tech- and a bus shelter, and on the other side niques to: limit entrances/exits, add are retail stores, a pharmacy, and other and/or relocate crosswalks, increase commercial development. The cross- crosswalk visibility, and adding pedes- walk is neither located near the bus trian safety warning signs. shelter nor near the rehabilitation/as- 3. Residential homeowners sisted living center, and anecdotal evi- concerned with cut-through dence suggests that pedestrians traffic on side streets routinely cross at the more convenient along the Byway Study Area location near the Mobil Station and the bank. Local residents have stated re- LOCATION: Residential peatedly that pulling out onto Route 2 neighborhood on north side of or crossing it on foot, across three Rt. 2, Demond Avenue/Greylock travel lanes, is dangerous, given the Avenue over to Protection Ave, travel speed of most vehicles. North Adams Recommendations include tech- Traffic cuts through the residential niques to: limit entrances/exits, add neighborhoods on the north side of and/or relocate crosswalk, extending Route 2 to reach Massachusetts Avenue the sidewalk, increase crosswalk vis- and vise versa. Drivers cut across Rob- ibility, and calm traffic. erts Drive, Demond, Greylock, and Protection avenues. This is mainly a Although these recommendations concern for people on the more resi- are specific to the four case study sites, dential streets, Demond and Greylock

130 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY they may be applicable to other sites self may be structurally sound, however, suffering similar traffic and pedestrian its use is limited in some capacity. safety conditions. We encourage local Information regarding whether a citizens and officials to review the rec- bridge is has a posted weight or height ommendations in Appendix 6E made limit is important in assessing a for the four case studies; perhaps some region’s transportation network. of the recommendations will be rel- Weight restrictions are important de- evant to other sections of roadway in terminants affecting freight routes and other areas of their communities. should be addressed to improve a region’s accessibility to goods, people and economic opportunities. It is also important for local fire departments Bridge Inventory with heavy fire equipment. Bridges are a critical component of any The historic character and design of transportation system. Maintaining the bridges within the Mohawk Trail the safety and functionality of bridges Scenic Byway study area should be is a top priority. Bridges are predomi- taken into consideration during reha- nantly under the domain of the state. bilitation/reconstruction work. Table Bridges are inspected by MHD, and 6.13: Inventory of Bridges in the Byway are ranked according to standards es- Study Area in the Scenic Byway Study tablished by the American Association Area provides data for each of the of State Highway and Transportation bridges located within the Byway study, Officials (AASHTO). The purpose of as listed in the 1999 MHD Bridge List- the AASHTO rating is to provide a ing. This information includes the con- standard to compare the status of dition rating, structural evaluation, bridges in a region and across the American Association of State High- country. The ratings are based on fac- way and transportation Officials tors such as its structural integrity, the (AASHTO) ratings and bridge status. road’s functional classification, and the designed purpose of the bridge. The Franklin County ratings are used to determine eligibility There are 29 bridges within the Byway for reconstruction or replacement. study that are under the jurisdiction of Bridges are also further classified as MHD. Many of these bridges were “structurally deficient” or “function- constructed prior to 1950. A number ally obsolete”. These classifications can of these bridges have been recon- raise the bridges’ position on the prior- structed. Five of the bridges are classi- ity list for repair/replacement. Bridges fied as structurally deficient, and nine are determined to be “structurally defi- are classified as functionally obsolete. cient” if they fall below specific In addition, the Bissel Bridge is an his- thresholds. A “structurally deficient” toric covered bridge located in classification may indicate that a vital, Charlemont and within the Byway study but relatively minor, repair is needed area. This bridge is a covered bridge that or that a bridge is in need of more seri- spans the Mill River and is located on ous rehabilitation. Safety concerns are Route 8A near Route 2. The bridge was paramount. built in 1951 on the site of a covered The classification of a bridge as “func- bridge that was built in the 1800s. The tionally obsolete” means that it is inad- existing bridge is 60-feet long. equate to fulfill its current function. An example would be a four-lane road lead- ing to a two-lane bridge. The bridge it-

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 131 TABLE 6.13 Inventory of Bridges in the Byway Study Area in Franklin County

Bridge Town Number Road/Location Under Bridge Owner Buckland B-28032 Route 2 Route 112 & Deerfield River State Buckland B-28-022 Bridge Street Deerfield River State Buckland B-28-009 Route 2 Deerfield River State Buckland B-28-004 Route 112, Ashfield Road Clesson Brook State Buckland B-28-002 Route 112, Ashfield Road Clarks Brook State Charlemont C-05-05T 8A North Heath Road Mill Brook State Charlemont C-05-053 Zoar Road Deerfield River Town Charlemont C-05-049 Burrington Road Hartwell Brook Town Charlemont C-05-048 Tinney Road Hartwell Brook Town Charlemont C-05-042 East Oxbow Road East Oxbow Brook Town Charlemont C-05-029 Maxwell Road Maxwell Brook Town Charlemont C-05-027 South River Road Albee Brook Town Charlemont C-05-026 South River Road Bozrah Brook Town Charlemont C-05-024 Route 2 BMRR State Charlemont C-05-012 Route 2 Deerfield River State Charlemont C-05-011 Route 2 Mill Brook State Charlemont C-05-010 8A West Hawley Road Deerfield River Town Charlemont C-05-005 8A North Heath Road Mill Brook Town Charlemont C-05-004 Cold River Road Cold River Town Charlemont C-05-003 Rowe Road Pelham Brook Town Charlemont C-05-002 Zoar Road Pelham Brook Town Greenfield G-12-060 I91 NB Route 2 WB Rotary State Greenfield G-12-060 I91 SB Route 2 Westbound State Greenfield G-12-059 I91 NB Route 2 Eastbound Rotary State Greenfield G-12-059 I91 SB Route 2 Westbound Rotary State Greenfield G-12-058 I 91 SB BMRR State Greenfield G-12-058 I91 NB BMRR State Greenfield G-12-035 Route 2 Old Shelburne Road State Greenfield G-12-007 Route 2A, Lower Main St Green River State

Source: MHD April 1999 Bridge Listing and the Franklin County Transportation Improvement Program FY 2000-2005 * Please Note: SD = Str uctural Deficiency; FO = Functionally Obsolete

Berkshire County toric District, is an iron bridge con- There are 27 bridges located in the structed in 1886. Galvin Road is a local one-mile wide corridor study area in road that branches off of Route 2 in the Berkshire County section of the the western section of the city and the Byway (see Table 6.14). Among those, bridge spans the Hoosic River one 10 bridges are located directly on the block north of the Byway. Although Byway. The bridge on Galvin Road in the bridge is within the Historic Dis- North Adams, in the Blackinton His- trict, it has not been nominated as an individual historic structure. The

132 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY Year AASHTO TIP TIP Cost TIP Functional Class Built/Rebuilt Rating Deficiency* Listed** Estimate Fiscal Year Rural Principal Arterial 1954 49 FO N Rural Major Collector 1890, 1994 54 FO N Rural Principal Arterial 1954 89 N Rural Major Collector 1938 80 N Rural Major Collector 1939, 1982 62 SD N Rural Major Collector 1995 71 FO N Rural Minor Collector 1987 99 N Local Road 1920, 1940 59 SD Y $118,400 2001 Local Road 1940 79 N Local Road 1940 75 N Local Road 1939 21 SD N Rural Major Collector 1939, 1960 70 N Rural Major Collector 1938, 1960 17 SD Y $302,000 2004 Rural Principal Arterial 1985 93 N Rural Principal Arterial 1955 91 N Urban Principal Arterial 1938 72 N Rural Major Collector 1944 77 N Rural Major Collector 1950 40 SD Y $530,000 2001 Local Road 1959 79 N Rural Major Collector 1939, 1992 81 N Rural Major Collector 1938 63 FO N Interstate 1966 91 FO N Interstate 1966 91 FO N Interstate 1966 91 FO N Interstate 1966 91 FO N Interstate 1964 67 FO N Interstate 1964 75 FO N Rural Principal Arterial 1951 83 N Urban Principal Arterial 1957 94 N

North Adams Historic Preservation Plan of 1980 specifically noted that the bridge is worthy of such distinction and recommended that it be nomi- nated for the National Register of His- toric Places. It is currently in disrepair and is closed to vehicular traffic. The Blackinton Neighbor’s Association is interested in restoring and repairing the bridge to bring it up to code for bi- cycle and pedestrian use, but recent in- CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 133 TABLE 6.14 Inventory of Bridges in the Byway Study Area in Berkshire County

Bridge Town Number Road/Location Under Bridge Owner Savoy S06011 Blackbrook Road Black Brook Town Florida F05005 Route 2 Cold River State Florida F05006 Route 2 Cold River State North Adams N14020 McCauley Road Hudson Brook City/Municipal North Adams N14009 Holden Street N. Branch Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14010 Eagle Street N. Branch Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14014 Route 8 N. Branch Hoosic River State North Adams N14015 Route 8 N. Branch Hoosic River State North Adams N14012 Route 2 & 8, Union Street N. Branch Hoosic River State North Adams N14013 Route 2 & 8, Union Street N. Branch Hoosic River State North Adams N14001 Ashton Avenue Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14008 Marshall Street N. Branch Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14019 Route 8 S. Branch Hoosic River State North Adams N14018 Route 8 ( Hadley Overpass ) Railroad State North Adams N14007 Brown Street Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14040 Notch Road Notch Brook City/Municipal North Adams N14016 Route 2 Hoosic River State North Adams N14004 Protection Avenue Hoosic River City/Municipal North Adams N14017 Route 2 Hoosic River State North Adams N14025 Route 2 Notch Brook State North Adams N14032 Route 2 BMRR State North Adams N14039 Route 2 Route 8 & Hoosic River City/Municipal Williamstown W37015 Route 2 Green River State Williamstown W37005 Route 7 Hemlock Brook State Williamstown W37010 West Main Street Hemlock Brook Town Williamstown W37011 Bulkley Street Hemlock Brook Town Williamstown W37024 Belden Street Hemlock Brook Town

Source: MHD April 1999 Bridge Listing. and the Franklin County Transportation Improvement Program FY 2000-2005 * Please Note: SD = Structural Deficiency; FO = Functionally Obsolete ** Tip listings taken from BRPC TIP FY 2002-2007.

formation on the condition of the bridge indicates that it is not feasible Rail Facilities to rehabilitate the bridge even for light pedestrian use. Franklin County The rail lines that are located in the Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway study area and located along the Deerfield River are used for freight transportation only. The rail line is the main east-west

134 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY Year AASHTO TIP TIP Cost TIP Functional Class Built/Rebuilt Rating Deficiency* Listed** Estimate Fiscal Year Minor Collector 1939 61 Rural Arterial 1955 79 Rural Arterial 1976 28 Urban Local 1921 2 SD Urban Collector 1976 98 Urban Arterial 1957 32 SD Urban Arterial 1955 95 Urban Arterial 1948 82 Urban Arterial 1956, 1983 77 Urban Arterial 1958, 1983 75 Urban Local 1985 100 Urban Collector 1956 80 Urban Arterial 1966 94 Urban Arterial 1941 74 FO Yes $4,000,000 After 2007 Urban Collector 1952 87 Urban Local 1960 92 Urban Arterial 1934, 1958 70 Yes $1,600,000 After 2007 Urban Local 1950 36 SD Urban Arterial 1959 89 Urban Arterial 1959 87 Urban Arterial 1882, 1930 74 FO Yes $200,000 After 2007 Urban Arterial 1959, 1992 77 Urban Arterial 1939 94 Urban Arterial 1924 65 FO Urban Local 1976 99 Urban Local 1985 99 Urban Local 1992 87 rail line traveling from Deerfield. The it exits the valley at the Hoosac Tunnel rail line is currently owned by Guilford in the town of Florida. Rail Systems (GRS), formerly the Bos- Shelburne Falls has a five-track ton and Maine Railroad. The line is the freight yard adjacent to the GRS main primary route into northern New En- line. This yard is home to the gland from the west, and is now used Shelburne Falls Trolley Museum, for freight transportation only. From which operates a fully restored trolley the large freight yard in East Deerfield, car. The trolley car was built in 1896 the runs through Greenfield to the for the Shelburne Falls and Colrain Deerfield River valley in West Street Railway. The museum has be- Deerfield, which it follows through come a popular tourist attraction, and Shelburne Falls and Charlemont until is in negotiation to acquire the rail yard from its private owner. The exit-

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 135 ing historic freight house was built in the Mohawk Trail corridor is limited. 1868 when the railroad first came The FRTA provides service between through Shelburne Falls. This freight Court Square in Greenfield and house remains on the site and when Charlemont Academy. The service oper- acquired and restored will serve as the ates during the school year (September main building for the museum, through the end of May) Monday The rail yard is the east-west main through Friday. The schedule includes line with approximately one half mile one trip to Charlemont in the morning of track, good ground storage, and and two trips in the afternoon with only some warehousing. The museum in- one trip in the afternoon on Friday. The tends to maintain sufficient trackage service makes a stop in Shelburne Falls. to enable the shipment of freight Park and Ride Lot in Charlemont through the yard should the demand Due to Franklin County’s dispersed evolve. The yard was last used for population and distance to employ- freight transloading in 1987. The cost ment centers, carpooling is a more fea- of acquisition and restoration is esti- sible transportation option than some mated to be approximately $700,000. other choices such as fixed route tran- sit. Carpooling becomes even more at- Berkshire County tractive if a convenient and secure This rail line runs through the Hoosac park-and-ride facility is available for Tunnel, carrying approximately 10 mil- commuters. The development of such lion gross tons per year. A feeder line a facility along the Byway is underway, from North Adams to Adams carries and will be located on a currently va- less than 1 million gross tons per year. cant, MHD-owned parcel of land in It is important to note that the Charlemont adjacent to Route 2 ap- Guilford Corporation’s railway right- proximately 1⁄4 mile from the Route of-way between North Adams and 112 south intersection. Williamstown consists of one active A joint project between the train track and one lane where the FRCOG and MHD District 1, this tracks have been removed. Bicycling project will formalize a park-and-ride advocates are interested in creating a facility that already operates there in- “ with rails” pathway along a por- formally. Plans call for 46 parking tion of this corridor. The rail lines in spaces, a U-shaped bus pull-in with a the Berkshire County section of the waiting shelter, landscaping, and access Byway exclusively carry freight; the to the adjacent Deerfield River. The nearest passenger rail service is in park-and-ride lot will be paved, lighted Pittsfield, 20 miles to the south. (using solar powered lights), and plowed during the snow season. Addi- tional landscaping could be provided Public Transportation at the site to soften the internal park- ing areas, but a local “adopt-a-site” ef- Services fort is required to commit to its upkeep and maintenance before any Franklin County plantings are installed. Otherwise, In Franklin County there are two public plans call for concrete medians in the transportation service providers: the parking areas, with landscaping pro- Franklin Regional Transit Authority vided around the perimeter of the lot. (FRTA) and the Greenfield Montague This park-and-ride facility offers trans- Transportation Area (GMTA). Regu- portation alternatives to the area’s com- larly scheduled public transit service to muters, and is one tool to help manage

136 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY traffic volumes on the Byway. However, BRTA can be contacted for specific in- its benefits are not limited to commuters. formation at (800) 292-BRTA. It is envisioned that the facility can also In 2001 BRPC conducted the North- support events in the Shelburne Falls ern Berkshire Community Transit Study downtown area by providing parking for to inventory the range of transportation either employees of, or visitors to, the Vil- options for residents who do not own a lage by operating a shuttle between the car and identify a range of potential op- two areas. Construction of the park-and- tions to improve access. This was a joint ride facility will be completed either dur- project with BRTA and coordinated ing the fall of 2001 or the spring of 2002, with the Northern Berkshire Commu- depending on the length of the construc- nity Coalition. As a result, the Transpor- tion season due to weather. tation Association of Northern Inc, (TANBI), a single point Berkshire County of contact to connect all residents with The Berkshire Regional Transit Au- transportation providers, is currently be- thority (BRTA) provides public transit ing developed. The TANBI will refer to the residents of Berkshire County, callers to existing transportation provid- including services from Northern to ers and coordinate, or broker, rides with Central and Southern Berkshire Com- a focus on those seeking employment munities. Its services in the Byway re- and training MAJOR FINDING gion are limited to North Adams and Speeding motor Williamstown; there is no bus route vehicles threaten through Florida or Savoy. Non-Motorized the safety of Hourly bus service is available on sev- eral routes that travel through the Corri- Transportation vehicles, pedestri- dor Study Area. These are: Bus #3 ans and bicyclists between North Adams and Resource Assessment along the Byway. Williamstown on Route 2, Bus #31 All public ways in Massachusetts may from downtown North Adams to the be legally used for walking, bicycling, Wal-Mart on Route 8, Bus #32 between and other non-motorized modes of downtown North Adams and the North transportation except for posted lim- Adams Regional Hospital, Bus #33 be- ited-access and express state highways. tween downtown North Adams and the The Mohawk Trail is not generally en- Mohawk Forest subdivision, and Bus #1 couraged for inexperienced bicyclists between North Adams and Pittsfield. or family outings with children be- Bus #1 is timed to connect to buses for cause of areas with narrow shoulders the rest of the BRTA service area. Over- and the high speeds at which vehicular all, the ridership on BRTA has been traffic travels, including commercial stable and the bus service between trucks. The areas that do not have North Adams and Williamstown (Route shoulders often pose particular dan- #3) is especially well used. gers for bicyclists because these sec- Although there are a small number tions of the roadway are often at the of bus stops with shelters, passengers windiest and steepest areas. Bicycling may hail down the bus or request a stop routes for expert recreational riders in at almost any spot along the Route they the larger Scenic Byway region is dis- choose. There are three bus shelters cussed in more detail in the Recre- within the Byway Study Area, includ- ational Section of the Plan. ing one located directly along the By- way. In general, buses run between the hours of 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. The

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 137 Pedestrian Access Bicycle Access In Franklin County the Byway is gen- Franklin County erally not well suited for pedestrian Road bicycling is an issue of much con- use. The road generally has a shoulder, cern in the rural areas of the Scenic By- but there is not sidewalk and the ve- way. While some portions of the hicular traffic travels at about 50 miles Mohawk Trail have wide shoulders that per hour. Shelburne Falls, located off will accommodate road , much of Route 2 but included in the byway of the Byway is narrow and winding, study area, is extremely pedestrian posing potential dangers to bicyclists. friendly and conducive to pedestrian The road is particularly dangerous for activities. Charlemont Center is also less experienced or young bicycle rid- of a scale that is conducive to pedes- ers. It was noted that the section of the trian access. Route 2 is the main road Byway between Shelburne and through Charlemont Center and has Greenfield is often used as part of a sidewalks through this section. How- training route by local groups of avid ever, pedestrian safety is a major con- and more experienced bicyclists. Their cern in this area because of the high concern was that debris sometimes ac- speeds traveled by the vehicles. The cumulates along the shoulders of the town of Charlemont is interested in road and poses a hazard. incorporating pedestrian safety mea- While Route 2 itself is not appropriate sures into road design for the recon- for family bicycling, there may be more struction of Route 2 through the town suitable roads for touring by bicycle that to be completed in the near future. intersect the Scenic Byway and provide The Scenic Byway travels through opportunities to explore the region. Spe- the downtown area of Williamstown, cific routes off of the Mohawk Trail have which is an area of heavy pedestrian not been fully evaluated; however, the traffic. Williams College buildings are suggestion of developing a network of located on both sides of the Byway, so bicycling loops has been made at numer- there are an unusually high number of ous times during the Corridor Manage- students crossing the street from one ment Plan Development Process. A few building to another at all times of the specific suggested routes have been day and evening. In addition, the mentioned such as Shelburne Falls/ shops, restaurants and other busi- Conway Road and East Hawley Road. nesses located on Spring Street and Bicycle route signs have been installed at Water Street, which both intersect the two locations on Route 112 in Buckland Byway, are destination areas for bicy- near the intersection of Route 2. This clists and pedestrians. The town has road has adequate shoulder to serve as a just purchased a “Lightguard Cross- part of a longer bicycle touring routes walk System.” In this system, flicker- off of the Byway. ing amber lights are embedded into the pavement along the painted lines Berkshire County of the crosswalk. These lights, which Bicycling in much of Savoy, Florida can be seen as far away as 1,000-1,500 and to some extent North Adams is feet, are activated when a person walks also considered less than ideal for through the two free-standing many types of bicyclists, due to blind at the entrances to the crosswalk. Al- corners, steep terrain, and an inconsis- though it is unknown at this time how tent shoulder width and lack of side- effective this new crosswalk system walks. There is, therefore, a great deal will be, it does illustrate the town’s of interest in creating bicycle and pe- dedication to pedestrian safety. destrian routes, especially in the more urbanized area of the Byway in North

138 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY TABLE 6.15 Local Populations in Northern Berkshire County that May Have Limited Transportation Options

Percent of residents younger Percent Disabled Percent Home Owners/Renters Paying Community than 18 or over 65 years Population, (ages 16-64)* greater than 30% of Income for housing** Florida 37 6 7 North Adams 40 9 14.3 Williamstown 36 <.1 6

*Percent of population classified as having a work disability, BRPC, 1997. **1997 BRPC, 1997.

Adams and Williamstown. In addition, for bicyclists, many of the factors it the Commonwealth of Massachusetts measures relate to pedestrian compat- and the United States Department of ibility as well. Using this methodology Transportation (USDOT) have priori- BRPC analyzed the Scenic Byway Cor- tized including such routes in trans- ridor for its bicycling and walking com- portation planning. The BRPC is in patibility. The purpose of this analysis the midst of completing a Draft Walk- is to identify areas along the Byway ing and Bicycling Transportation Plan. where improving the BCI to accommo- This plan gathers and analyzes infor- date bicycles would be desirable. mation on a range of existing condi- The BCI methodology draws together tions and proposes a prioritized list of factors that account for approximately problem areas for projects or for fur- 90% of the variability in how an average ther discussion by communities. The mix of bicyclists would experience a sec- following discussion draws on that tion of road. These factors include pres- draft document and the Northern ence of shoulders more than three feet Berkshire Community Transit Study, wide, sidewalks, high traffic volumes previously conducted by BRPC. (separately evaluating percentages of People bicycle for short trips for a trucks), speed of traffic, parking issues, variety of reasons. Especially in good and surrounding land uses. All of the sec- weather, a ten-minute walk to the store tions listed in the table below are in the for a loaf of bread is a healthy, inexpen- “Moderately Low” category, which can sive, and environmentally friendly way be thought of as a D on a report card, to do an errand. For the fifteen percent where the normal range is A (excellent) of households in northern Berkshire through F (failing). The numerical rat- County without a vehicle there may ings are on a scale of 1 to 6, where the sec- not be much choice of how to do er- tions of road with the higher numbers are rands. Other community attributes also the least compatible sections for bicy- make bicycling an important mode of cling. There were no sections that had a transportation, as shown in Table 6.15. lower rating than a D. See Table 6-16 Improving the safety and convenience and Appendix 6F. for walking and bicycling may be espe- The Draft Walking and Bicycling cially helpful for people with these Transportation Plan also evaluated de- challenges to getting around. mand for bicycling and walking facili- In an effort to quantify and evaluate ties, which is an estimation of how the bicycling and walking transporta- much such facilities are currently or tion system of the county, BRPC ap- might be used if they were in good plied the federal Bicycle Compatibility condition. Demand factors included Index (BCI) methodology to the re- roads near a school or park, or in areas gion. While this measure is designed with high densities of households with

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 139 TABLE 6.16 Sections of the Mohawk Trail in Northern Berkshire County with Worst Bicycle Compatibility Index (BCI)

Location & County Level of Service Brief Summary of Community Serial Number (CSN_2000)* (BCI)** Reasons for Rating Florida At the intersection of Rt. 2 and D (3.47) The speed limit is 50 MPH and the Strykers Road (227998) shoulder/sidewalk width is 2-feet wide North Adams From Brayton Street to D (3.49) Traffic is fairly heavy in this residential area Williamstown town line (198800) with a posted speed of 40 MPH Williamstown North Adams line/Galvin Rd. D (3.49) Approximately 16,000 vehicles per day to Luce Road. (386100) (ADT) use this road. It has a 40 MPH speed limit and a wide paved area that may encourage speeding. Williamstown Luce Road to Stratton Road D (3.75) 2 lanes of traffic that passes through (386000) commercial areas—lots of turning cars and driveways through the walks Williamstown Stratton Road to the D (3.51) This section enters the more developed Eastlawn Cemetery (385900) part of Williamstown. It goes a short distance west of Colonial Ave.

*CSN_2000 is a unique identifier assigned by MHD for each section of road throughout Berkshire County. **BCI Level of Service is comparable to a report card grade. The higher BCIs are the least compatible. Please note that at as of June 2002 these priority areas reflect technical analysis. The next steps will be to work with community leaders and interested citizens on reviewing the results. See Appendices for maps

TABLE 6.17 Sections of Mohawk Trail with Highest Priority for Investment

Location and County Community Serial Number (CSN_2000)* Priority** Description North Adams Veterans Mem. Highway 8.60, 8.93, In addition to a history of accidents and access between Eagle St. and High St. 8.39, 9.53 to community facilities, this is an area with (217200, 300, 216900, 216800) very high rates of zero car households. North Adams State Rd. between the Hoosic River/ 8.27 There is a moderate rate of households with a New St. and Phelps Ave. (199000) vehicle and the wide travel width may tend to encourage high operating speeds. North Adams State Rd. between the Airport Dr. and There are some areas of dense residential Galvin Rd./Williamstown line (198800) 8.99 development interspersed with commercial areas, including a major supermarket. Williamstown Williamstown line/Galvin Rd. past 9.25, 8.49, This is an area with fast moving traffic, a mix of Stratton Rd. to Colonial Ave area 8.31 dense residential and commercial development (386000, 100, 392500) with many turning vehicles Williamstown Bingham St. to the intersection of 8.03, 8.44, This section of road includes Williams College, Main St. & Spring Rd. at Field Park 8.57, 8.14 some areas of dense residential development and (385400, 500, 600,700) relatively high rate of residents without vehicles. Parts of it are already in good shape for bicycling or walking.

*CSN_2000 is a unique identifier assigned by MHD for each section of road throughout Berkshire County. **Priority is ranked 1-12, with the higher number having a higher priority rating.

zero vehicles. Steep terrain was in- data were then combined to prioritize cluded as a factor that reduces likely areas for bicycle or pedestrian im- demand. The plan also gathered data provements. The sections of road re- on where accidents or crashes oc- ceived a rating from 1 to 12, where the curred involving a pedestrian or bicy- sections with the higher numbers clist. The BCI, demand, and accident would be areas where improvements

140 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY will be the most effective. In other some resources are the Mass. Pedes- words, priority areas with the higher trian Transportation Plan, the Mass. number will likely result in the “big- Statewide Bicycle Transportation Plan, gest bang for the buck.” See Table and the federal Pedestrian and Bicycle 6-17 and Appendix 6G. Information Center (PBIC). Informa- It is important to note that at as of tion from the PBIC, including a June 2002, when this Corridor Manage- walkability checklist for communities, ment Plan was being finalized, these is available at www.pedbikeinfo.org. priority areas reflect technical analysis and preliminary field verification. The Off-Road Paths for next steps will be to work with commu- Non-Motorized Uses nity leaders and interested citizens on Mountain biking is permitted on the reviewing the results and determining if many roads and trails in the Mohawk the technical analysis meets local needs Trail State Forest and Savoy Moun- and desires. Investing funds to improve tain State Forest, and on designated the streets in these high demand areas trails in Mount Greylock State Reser- has the possibility to make it safe and vation. The rugged terrain of the pleasant for the highest number people parks offers mountain bikers chal- to walk or bicycle for the smallest in- lenges of moderate to extremely diffi- vestment of public dollars. cult levels. At this time there are no While the above work draws attention established bicycle trails in gentler to some areas that may be a wise public terrain for the less hardy bicyclists or investment, it should be noted that bicy- for family biking within the Mohawk clists and pedestrians are allowed on all Trail Study Area. roads in Massachusetts except those such as the Mass. Turnpike, where design con- Franklin County siderations and posted signs prohibit The FRCOG has been working to them. Further, in Engineering Directive implement a regional Bikeway System, E-98-003 (in response to MGL Ch 87 which includes both shared roadway Acts of 1996), it is required that: and bicycle path facilities. This bikeway Project design engineers shall use system is called the Franklin County sound engineering practice in making Bikeway and at this time only includes reasonable provisions to accommodate routes as far west as Greenfield. Future bicycles and pedestrians in project de- expansion plans will include any pos- signs. This generally includes assuring sible off-road connections within the continuous paths of travel with Byway Study Area. smooth surfaces without obstructions Berkshire County or impediments. This Directive must In 1995 the Commonwealth of Massa- be addressed on all projects at the 25% chusetts contracted with the Bicycle design level. Coalition of Massachusetts to conduct The Directive goes on to recognize a region-wide and statewide assess- some of the differences in reasonable ment of existing and proposed bicycle accommodations for bicyclists as com- facilities. The result of the project was pared to pedestrians. Generally, pedes- the Commonwealth of Massachusetts trians are likely to care more about Bicycle Facilities Inventory, which in- factors such as separation from ve- ventoried existing facilities and routes, hicles (such as sidewalks), shade, identified proposed facilities, and pri- pleasantness of surroundings (such as oritized to the degree possible those removal of litter) and safe crosswalks. that were transportation-based and For more on the similar and different most feasible. The inventory discussed needs for bicyclists and pedestrians,

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 141 two possible areas within the Scenic and are actively working with residents Byway study area in Berkshire County from North Adams and Williamstown where development of bicycle routes to develop a bike path system that should be prioritized, including the would connect the two communities. Ashuwillticook Rail Trail between Local officials from both communities Pittsfield and North Adams and what have indicated a strong support for the was then referred to as the Trail of creation of such a bicycling route. Peace between North Adams and The Berkshire Bike Path Council is Williamstown (now more likely re- currently investigating potential ferred to as an extension of the routes for the bike path that would Ashuwillticook Trail). The vast major- connect Williamstown to North ity of the Scenic Byway, between Adams and south to Adams. Although Greenfield and downtown North the preferred and alternate routes have Adams, was not identified as a priority, not yet been thoroughly investigated, presumably due to the varying degrees preliminary studies suggest that some of shoulder width and condition, the of the route could be located within steep grades and the winding nature of the right of way of the rail line and the road. some of the route could be located in a The Ashuwillticook Rail Trail is cur- greenway along the Hoosic River. rently being constructed between Pitts- Much of the route would be within the field and Adams, and there is hope that it Byway Study Area and provide addi- will continue through to Western Gate- tional recreational opportunities for way Heritage Park in North Adams and visitors to the Byway. It is also impor- on through Williamstown. tant to note that a bike route in this The Berkshire Bike Path Council is region has the potential to be more a county-wide citizen’s group with a than a recreational pathway; it most goal of creating a bicycle path from likely would also function as a trans- Vermont to Connecticut. They were portation route, especially with the heavily involved in building commu- high number of college students in the nity support for the Ashuwillticook two communities.

142 MOHAWK TRAIL SCENIC BYWAY ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Issues ■ Two major intersections along the several turn-offs located near one Scenic Byway stand out for their rela- another eliminate some. ■ Safety along the roadway is a con- tively high number of accidents ■ Improve turn off area in the cern. Local residents are concerned ■ Although the LOS for portions of the Greenfield section of the Byway. with vehicular speed in Shelburne, Byway in Shelburne and Charlemont ■ Consider the construction of a west- Charlemont and Florida. Also, a dan- are below an optimum level, local bound climbing lane in the section of gerous curve below the Eastern Sum- residents do not want to see LOS the Byway that travels up Greenfield mit could use additional signage. standards “dictate” highway improve- Mountain (east of the pull-off area). ■ There is a concern with bicycle safety ments, such as road widening, that Slow moving trucks currently use the on the roadway. would encourage drivers to increase breakdown lane along this stretch of ■ The communities have expressed a their travel speeds. the road. concern that road improvements are ■ Support the efforts of the town of not always completed in a manner Charlemont to reduce the speeds of that is in keeping with the rural char- Recommendations traffic and improve pedestrian safety acter of the byway. ■ Williamstown and North Adams and accessibility in the downtown. ■ There is a concern that the installa- should coordinate a joint Corridor ■ Conduct a more detailed analysis to tion of too many signs can clutter the Access Management effort to im- investigate safety, and possible traffic landscape along the roadway. prove traffic flow and property access flow improvements at the traffic ro- ■ There is an interest in finding addi- along the commercial corridor con- tary in Greenfield. tional safe bicycling routes off of but necting their two downtown areas. ■ Continue to monitor crash incidences connecting to the Mohawk Trail. ■ Complete improvements to pull-off ar- at the three major sites of accidents ■ Too many signs can cause confusion eas that are in need of repairs to the along the Byway (Rt. 2 & Rt. 2A in for drivers and also detract from the apron areas. Shelburne, Rt. 2 & Rt. 8A in North scenic nature of the roadway. ■ Construction of retaining walls and Adams, and Rt. 2 & Rt. 7 in ■ Maintaining the rural character of the culverts along the Byway should be Williamstown) and explore possible towns along the byway. completed in a context sensitive mitigation measures. ■ Route 2 is the main road through the manner. ■ Support the development of the park centers of downtown Charlemont, ■ Support local efforts and potential and ride lot in Charlemont. North Adams and Williamstown. The Scenic Byway funding towards the ■ Further explore opportunities for tran- towns share the concern that road development of a bicycle route be- sit, incorporate park and ride lots to improvements are completed in a tween Williamstown and North reduce traffic congestion and parking sensitive manner and also are geared Adams that would eventually connect problems during peak periods. towards slowing the traffic down. with the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail in ■ Consider installing additional warning ■ The rural residential character of Adams. signs at the right-hand curve east of the road is abruptly transformed ■ State and local official and residents and below the Eastern Summit. along Union Street in North Adams should work cooperatively to insure ■ Investigate the increased use of elec- into a busy urban setting, complete that the scenic and historic qualities tric, mobile speed displays as an en- with fast food establishments and of the Byway are maintained or en- forcement tool. This is especially an supermarkets. hanced when road improvement interest in the town of Charlemont. ■ Bicyclists and local residents and offi- projects are conducted. Alternative ■ Work with the Town of Williamstown cials in Williamstown, North Adams safety design techniques, such as in its efforts to improve traffic safety at and Adams are interested in develop- those discussed in this section, should the Main Street/North Street intersec- ing a region-wide network of trails be seriously considered. During the tion at the eastern end of Field Park. and extending the Ashuwillticook Rail design process, criteria to be evalu- ■ Develop a map of bicycle touring Trail proposed routes in North Adams ated in the long-term cost-benefit routes connecting from the Mohawk and Williamstown. analysis should include tourism ben- Trail Scenic Byway. These routes ■ Although a main east-west artery for efits of aesthetics and durability of the should take into consideration roads northern Berkshire County, the North alternate design. that are scenic and have sufficient Adams-Williamstown corridor has de- ■ Encourage future road resurfacing/re- shoulders to accommodate bicycle veloped into a heavily commercial construction projects to be completed touring. corridor. Through traffic flow is im- in a manner, which is sensitive to the ■ Also, explore opportunities to improve peded by vehicles turning in and pull- historic and scenic nature of the the roadway conditions for road cy- ing out of the numerous businesses roadway. cling on Route 2 between Shelburne along the roadway. In addition, exit- ■ Develop turn-off areas with a view of and Greenfield as this section of the ing residential properties and side the Deerfield River in appropriate lo- road is currently being used by local streets is increasingly difficult. cations. In locations where there are groups of avid cyclists.

CHAPTER 6: Transportation Resources 143