The trail will begin at the intersection of College Highway (Route 10) and Brickyard Road Sheldon’s) and run 3 ½ 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.
As of Spring 2023 the City of Westfield is in the early stages of exploring options for extending its Columbia Greenway to the Southampton line. Westfield ’s decision on this issue will be an important factor in Southampton’s decision on whether and how to develop a route from Route 10 south to Westfield.
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 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 sub-urban and rural rail trails, arguably much low-er 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, probably beginning with an open meeting in late Summer or Fall of 2023. Open meetings to solicit community input will occur multiple time during the multi-year design process. Please feel free to contact the Southampton Greenway Committee (greenway@townofsouthampton.org) with comments or questions at any time.
Click here to join the Friends of the Southampton Greenway.
The Southampton Greenway Committee is a committee of residents, appointed by and responsible to the Select Board, charged with overseeing the design and construction of the Greenway project. The Friends is an independent, not-for-profit (501-c3), volunteer group whose role is to support the project through communication and education, fundraising and other activities.
