Baboosic Greenway: Amherst North-03

The Amherst North-03 segment is a pivotal development in the Baboosic Greenway network, designed to enhance connectivity and accessibility within the town of Amherst. Extending from the end of the existing sidepath at the intersection of Amherst Street and Boston Post Road to the termination of Amherst North-02 near Birch Park, this trail segment aims to provide a safe, uninterrupted route for pedestrians and cyclists. In 2024, this project was approved for Congestion Mitigation & Air Quality (CMAQ) funding to cover 80% of the project's total cost.

A photo of the NH 122, along the route of Amherst North-03

Location

This segment of the Baboosic Greenway is in the center of Amherst, just east of the Amherst Village Historic District, spanning 4,572 linear feet along Amherst St (NH 122). It starts in the west at the terminus of an existing 1.9-mile sidepath (Amherst West-01) on the western side of the intersection of Amherst St and Boston Post Rd and continues in a northeasterly manner along the northern side of Amherst St (NH 122) until it reaches the terminus of Amherst North-02 (NH DOT Ten Year Plan Project Amherst 42593).

Map of the proposed treatments and routing of Amherst North-03

Purpose

The purpose of this project is to construct a multimodal sidepath along the north of Amherst St (NH 122) in order to bridge a gap in multimodal facilities, thereby connecting 3 projects, either completed or already in progress, along a roadway that is host to the highest instances of bike/ped crashes and is one of the highest-volume roadways in town.

This project continues to build out the mission of the Baboosic Greenway, which stands to create a regional spine for a broader off-road trail network for the purposes of enhancing safety, increase regional mobility, and expand accessibility for persons who are unable to transport themselves by motor vehicle.

Connectivity-focused facilities such as these provide area residents with a unique opportunity to move throughout their town and the region off-road, offering a peaceful journey reduced interaction with motor vehicles. This can provide exceptionally safe and convenient mobility for multimodal users, especially if they are a member of a vulnerable population or if their route would otherwise take them on a busy roadway.

Need

This section of Amherst St represents a significant gap in the Baboosic Greenway with increasing urgency as this project is situated at the confluence of 3 established multimodal infrastructure projects already in progress.

To the west of this route is the recently completed 1.9-mile municipal sidepath project (Amherst West-01) which continues the Baboosic Greenway to the Town of Milford. The further extension of sidepath facilities within Milford would allow for a direct connection to the Milford Oval.

• To the east of this route is Baboosic Greenway Amherst North-02 (Ten Year Project Amherst 42593), scheduled to begin in 2026, and along which the Town of Amherst has made tangible progress securing public easements along the abandoned Manchester and Milford Branch rail bed. Furthermore, adjacent to the eastern limits of this project is Birch Park, a popular municipal park hosting a disc golf facility and other amenities.
• To the south of this route is Baboosic Greenway segment Amherst South-01, in the area of 164 Amherst St. A midblock crossing at this location will offer a gateway to the south of Amherst, providing a direct connection from the Amherst Village and rest of the Baboosic Greenway to dozens of additional neighborhoods, Souhegan High School, and Amherst Middle School.
• The construction of Amherst North-03 would yield a 2.75 continuous facility of sidepath from the Milford town line to the abandoned Milford and Manchester Branch rail bed near Birch Park. Furthermore, the completion of Amherst North-02 (NH DOT Ten Year Plan Project Amherst 42593) would extend this facility by another 2.04 miles for a 4.79-mile facility from the Milford town line to Walnut Hill Rd.

Map of the Amherst North-03 and how it connects to other segments of the Baboosic Greenway

Due to the need to connect these three major projects, this project has risen to a very high priority for the Town of Amherst in order to provide safer infrastructure for its pedestrians, bicyclists, and others. This section of Amherst St is host to 8,043 vehicles per day and according to the Amherst Police Department, is the roadway with the highest instances of crashes in the Town of Amherst.

Data

Calculating the data of this project, linear feet numbers of each treatment are provided below:

Project Status

The current status of Amherst North-03 is as follows: