Berkshire County leaders are celebrating a $17.3 million federal grant that will lay the groundwork for a pathway linking the Ashuwillticook Rail Trail at Adams to the Mohican Recreational Path in Williamstown. The 9.3-mile shared-use pathway, which will pass through downtown North Adams, will go a long way toward connecting many of the region’s cultural institutions, including the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art, the Clark Art Institute, Williams College Museum of Art, and the Adams Theater.
The grant, which comes from the Department of Transportation Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) program, will fund the planning, design, and permitting for the long-imagined path, known as the “Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail,” or the “A2A Trail Project.”
“The Adventure to Ashuwillticook Trail Project will highlight the natural resources in North County — a true asset that attracts thousands of visitors every year,” Congressman Richard Neal said in a statement. “This project will play a key role in stimulating significant economic activity throughout the region, while promoting the health and well-being of local residents.”
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In recent years, the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission has worked with leaders in Adams, North Adams, and Williamstown, as well as Mass MoCA and Tourists hotel on the project.
Tom Matuszko, executive director of the BRPC, which will manage the grant over the four-year process, said the funds will “provide for the design of the entire segment, which will then open doors for future construction funding in a fully shovel-ready state.”
Organizers said the Mass MoCA campus will serve as a “rotary” that links the east-west stretch of the planned trail, which will connect to the Mohican path, and the north-south stretch, which will extend south to the Ashuwillticook trail.
Tunkhannock’s Lourianna Alston shoots a free throw during a game against Nanticoke Area on Friday. KEVIN MCCONLOGUE / STAFF PHOTO 
Tunkhannock’s Erin Van Ness dribbles past Nanticoke Area’s Kate Reed during a game on Friday. KEVIN MCCONLOGUE / STAFF PHOTO 
