Greenway Committee

About the Southampton Greenway

After many years of hard work, in December 2022 the Town acquired the Right of Way for the Southampton Greenway from the Pioneer Valley Railroad. This right of way runs 4½ miles north from the Westfield line to Coleman Road, where it meets the existing Manhan Rail Trail.

The Town has started design of a multi-use recreational trail extending 3.1 miles north from Route 10 near Sheldon's Ice Cream to Coleman Road. This trail will be open to pedestrians, runners and cyclists. In the future, the Town will explore options for connecting the Greenway Rail Trail with Westfield's Columbia Greenway.

Early in 2023 the Town engaged the local civil engineering firm of Tighe & Bond to begin the multi-year process of designing the rail trail. This work has been funded by a series of generous MassTrails grants, with matching funds from the Town in the form of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds. (See the Grants section below for details.)

During 2023 the Tighe & Bond team completed surveying, base mapping, wetlands delineation, and condition assessment of the bridges and culverts. In November 2023, the Greenway Committee organized  a Greenway information session led by Tighe & Bond engineers that was attended by about 130 people. Tighe & Bond has since completed the project's "25% Design" and submitted it to the Town and MassDOT. While it is called a 25% design, this milestone in fact represents roughly 70% of the total design work for the Greenway.

We anticipate that MassDOT will hold a public design meeting in the fall of 2026 to review the plans and gather community input. Following that meeting, Tighe & Bond will complete the remaining design work and then the project will be advertised for construction bids.

The project is currently listed on the Massachusetts Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for fiscal year 2029, which programs approximately $16.2 million in federal and state funding for Greenway construction. With this listing, construction could begin as early as late 2028. Additional funding may be needed for parking, signage, and other amenities.

Please check this site for regular updates as the design process moves forward. Contact the Greenway Rail Trail Committee (greenway@townofsouthampton.org) with comments or questions at any time.

Friends of the Southampton Greenway

The Greenway project is supported by two distinct groups, and it helps to understand the difference:

The Southampton Greenway Committee is an official town committee appointed by the Select Board. The Committee oversees the trail project on the Town's behalf by working with engineers and MassDOT, making decisions about the trail, moving the project through the official planning and approval process, and handling grant applications and CPA fund requests.

Friends of the Southampton Greenway is a separate, independent nonprofit. They are a 501(c)(3) organization run entirely by volunteers. The Friends build community awareness and support for the trail, raise funds for amenities like benches and signage, and give residents a way to get involved. Because the two groups operate independently, donations to Friends of the Southampton Greenway go directly to community-building and trail amenities rather than to town government.

The Committee and the Friends work closely together toward the same goal: a completed Greenway for Southampton. To learn more, get involved, or support the project, visit the Friends at southamptongreenway.org.

Background Documents

Overview Trail Map

The 25% Design documents will be posted by Mass DOT some time in the next few months.

Grants

The design phase of the Greenway has been funded by a series of competitive MassTrails grants from the Commonwealth, most of them matched by Town Community Preservation Act (CPA) funds:

• 2021 MassTrails Grant — $100,000

• 2022 MassTrails Grant — $300,000, with a $100,000 CPA match

• 2023 MassTrails Grant — $320,000, with a $65,000 CPA match

• 2024 MassTrails Grant — $208,000, with a $52,000 CPA match

• 2025 MassTrails Grant — $320,000, with a $65,000 CPA match

• 2026 MassTrails Grant — $240,000, with a $60,000 CPA match

Construction of the trail is expected to be funded primarily through federal and state transportation funds via the Massachusetts Transportation Improvement Program (see the About section above).

Award Letters:

Mass Trails Award 2021

Mass Trails Award 2022

Mass Trails Award 2023

Contacting the Greenway Committee

Email: greenway@townofsouthampton.org

Mailing Address:
Greenway Committee
Town Hall
210 College Highway, Suite 8
Southampton, MA 01073

Members of the Greenway Committee

Select Board Liaison -