MassDOT announces temporary closure of southern section of Ashuwillticook Rail Trail
Lanesborough and Cheshire — The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has announced that the southern section of the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail will be closed to the public beginning Monday, March 16. The closure is necessary to facilitate Phase I of the resurfacing project that seeks to upgrade an 11-mile section of the rail trail.
The closure of the southern section of rail trail is anticipated to be in place through July 2020. The following restrictions will be in place during the closure:
- There will be no public access to or on the rail trail from Berkshire Mall Connector Road in Lanesborough north to Church Street in Cheshire; and
- The Berkshire Mall Connector Road rail trail parking lots will be closed to the public.
The northern section of rail trail, from Church Street in Cheshire to Lime Street in Adams, will remain open to the public. The parking for this section will be available at the Cheshire Elementary School and on Railroad Street in Cheshire and at the Adams Visitor Center and Russell Field in Adams.
Phase II of the project will include the resurfacing of the northern section of the rail trail, and is anticipated to occur late summer.
The contractor for the project is J.H. Maxymillian of Pittsfield. The project has an estimated cost of $3,241,235.
All scheduled work is weather-dependent and may be impacted due to an emergency situation.
For more information on traffic conditions travelers are encouraged to:
- Dial 511 before heading out onto the roadways and select a route to hear real-time conditions;
- Visit com, which provides real-time traffic and incident advisory information, access to traffic cameras, and allows users to subscribe to text and email alerts for traffic conditions;
- Follow MassDOT on Twitter to receive regular updates on road and traffic conditions; and
Download MassDOT’s GoTime mobile app and view real-time traffic conditions before setting out on the road.
