A winter student project by Kristen Gessinger, Mary Sage Napolitan, and Mallory Rasky '19.
In 2004, Easthampton celebrated the completion of the Manhan Rail Trail, a paved multi-use path along a defunct railway providing safe walking and cycling infrastructure and supporting non-motorized transit through the city. Residents take pride in the Manhan Rail Trail but would like to see improved pedestrian and bicycle access to destinations within in the city. The City of Easthampton hired a team of students from the Conway School to analyze existing conditions, assess the feasibility of multi-use paths, and develop recommendations for a conceptual path network to connect the rail trail to schools, neighborhoods, businesses, and parks. This report lays a conceptual groundwork for a multi-use path system which can be further developed into site-specific designs, with the aid of a continued public input process.
