Rail trail wins $408,000 MassTrails grant

Board of Public Works · Meeting of July 15, 2026

Easthampton's Board of Public Works heard that a $408,000 MassTrails grant will fund more Rail Trail repairs. Staff said the money covers hazard tree removal, pavement repairs and root barriers from Ferry Street toward Route 5, matched by $102,000 now before the City Council. The grant must be used by the end of June 2027, with bidding planned for early fall.

The IT department also won $191,000 in Community Compact funding for fiber lines to the Brook Street and Notatuck wells, ahead of Verizon ending support for existing infrastructure by the end of October. Traffic on the Liberty Street bridge is held to one lane at MassDOT's request, and replacement is expected to cost several million dollars.

In the full story:

• EASTHAMPTON — July 15, 2026
• Call to Order and Public Speak
• Minutes
• Director's Report: Wastewater Plant Aerators
• Fort Hill Road
• Water Department SCADA and Fiber Funding
• Other Construction Updates
• Liberty Street Bridge
• Everett Street Culvert
• Rail Trail Grant
• Who Was There
• Organizations And Documents Referenced
• The complete report: 1,442 words

Source: the Board of Public Works meeting of July 15, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.