The trail will begin at the intersection of College Highway (Route 10) and Brickyard Road (Sheldon’s) and run 3.1 miles north to Coleman Road.
Like the Manhan Rail Trail and other rail trails in our region, the Southampton Greenway will be paved and wide enough to allow travel in two directions. The design process will ensure that accessibility and safety features will conform with MassDOT guidelines, so that the trail will be accessible and safe for all potential users.
The trail will be available for use by pedestrians, runners, and bicyclists. Other uses, such as by equestrians, will be considered during the design process.
Users who reach the northern terminus of the Greenway will be able to cross Coleman Road and continue on the Manhan Rail Trail. This will provide them with access a large and growing regional network of rail trails, currently extending as far as Belchertown and Williamsburg.
The southern connection to Westfield’s Columbia Greenway remains a work in progress. Approximately 4.8 miles of trail in Westfield is still to be completed between the Westfield River and the Southampton town line. Westfield is actively studying routing options for a northern extension, though no timeline has been confirmed. Southampton has purchased its section of the rail corridor all the way to the Westfield line, so the connection remains a future possibility.
The design process underway will determine the cost of Greenway construction and develop projections for the ongoing costs of maintenance and repair. It is expected that Federal and State Government transportation funds will fully fund construction costs, while maintenance will be funded by the Town of Southampton, likely with support from the Friends.
The trail will be maintained by the Town of Southampton. It is expected that the Friends of the Southampton Greenway will assist in this work.
Some abutters to the future rail trail have filed suit against the Federal Government. The Town is not a party to this suit, and it in no way affects the ongoing Southampton Greenway project.
A 1990s study of 372 rail trails throughout the country found very low rates of crime on suburban and rural rail trails, arguably much lower than prevailing rates in their communities.1 One local indicator is the experience of our neighbors in Easthampton, where in December 2006, then-Police Chief McMahon stated, “Since its opening I find that the Manhan Rail Trail has had virtually no impact on crime for the City of Easthampton.” It is also worth noting that the current rail corridor, which is not monitored, could itself be a magnet for mischief.
Southampton residents will be invited to provide input and feedback at several steps in the design process. Previously, in the Fall of 2023 Tighe & Bond held an open meeting at the Norris School, which yielded important feedback. The next major opportunity for public feedback will come in the Summer of 2026 when MassDOT holds a public review of the “25% Plan”, which was submitted in April. In the mean while, at any time please feel free to contact the Southampton Greenway Committee (greenway@townofsouthampton.org) with comments or questions.
Click here for ways to get involved with the Friends of Southampton Greenway.
The Southampton Greenway Committee is an official town committee appointed by the Select Board. They oversee the trail project on the town’s behalf, working with engineers and MassDOT, making decisions about what goes on the trail, and moving the project through the official planning and approval process. They also handle grant applications and requests for CPA funds.
Friends of Southampton Greenway (that’s us) is a separate, independent nonprofit. We’re a 501(c)(3) organization run entirely by volunteers. Our job is to build community awareness and support for the trail, raise funds for amenities like benches and signage, and make sure people like you have a way to get involved.
Think of it this way: the Committee steers the ship, and we’re out there drumming up crew.
The two groups work closely together, but we operate independently, which means your donations to Friends of Southampton Greenway go directly to community-building and trail amenities, not to town government.
We hear these questions a lot at our meetings, and they’re important ones. Rules around e-bikes and other micromobility devices on shared-use trails are governed by state law and local policy, outside the direct control of either the Committee or Friends. We’ll share information as things develop, but in the meantime, MassBike, a state-wide advocacy group, is a good place to follow those conversations. Learn about Micromobility Bill S.3077 here.
