Regarding the Mill River Greenway article of Oct. 24 [“Mill River Greenway construction underway after 15 years of debate“].

The $3.1 million project that’s underway in Haydenville involves constructing 1/3 of a mile, not 2.4 miles, of bike path along South Main Street, a residential road which is a popular bike route that cyclists have safely ridden on for decades without incident. (See southmain01039.com.)

The project replaces the street’s sidewalk with a designated bike path. Pedestrians, children and dog walkers who previously used the sidewalk without concern will now have to stay alert for cyclists and e-bikes coming up behind them. Pedestrians may wind up finding it less stressful to walk instead along the side of the roadway, where you can at least see what’s coming toward you, and cyclists on the new path may have their reflexes, brakes and medical insurance tested by cars unexpectedly pulling out of blind driveways ahead of them.

The two-mile-long bike path along Route 9 from Haydenville to Williamsburg, which would eliminate actual, critical safety hazards for cyclists and pedestrians, is a separate project, not scheduled to begin construction until 2031 at the earliest, with an estimated price tag of $58 million (according to the 2027 Mass. STIP). About 2,500 people live in Williamsburg and Haydenville, which puts the cost of the project at $23,000 per resident.

One problem is that 80% of the $58 million is supposed to come from the federal government, which is currently eliminating funding for bicycle transportation projects. Even when funding returns, who knows when the nation’s economy will be in a position to spend $58 million to extend a bike path two miles towards a small town.

Construction on South Main is not being funded by a grant from MassDOT but by a $2.4 million T-Bond allocation, money the state is borrowing to pay for the project. Some of this money is going towards much-needed repair of the roadway and improvements to stormwater drainage, for which residents are grateful. But for cyclists, the project will simply enable rail trail riders to almost (but not quite) reach Dunkin’ in Haydenville without having to join other cyclists on South Main — at the cost of putting pedestrians in e-bike harm’s way and leading cyclists on a path with blind driveway dangers.

Jim Weigang

Haydenville