Baboosic Greenway: Amherst South-02
| Organizational note |
|---|
| This initiative is a segment of the Baboosic Greenway regional project. |
The Amherst South-02 segment is an integral component of the Baboosic Greenway, aimed at enhancing regional connectivity and accessibility across central Amherst. This segment runs alongside Beaver Brook and extends approximately 5,100 feet from Boston Post Rd to Merrimack Rd, incorporating crucial structures like the Beaver Brook Bridge and the NH 101 Underpass.
A photo of the existing rail bed along Amherst South-02, in March 2021
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).
| This project connects directly to other segments of the Baboosic Greenway | |
|---|---|
| To the north | This project connects to Amherst South-01 at Boston Post Road |
| To the east | This project connects to the Robert Frost Trail aka Amherst East-02 |
| To the south | This project connects to Amherst South-03 at Merrimack Road |
Map of the proposed treatments and routing of Amherst South-02
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to complete a segment of the Baboosic Greenway by the establishment of ROW and a shared-use path along the abandoned Milford and Manchester Branch rail bed. This segment of the route has perennially appeared in local plans, studies, and requests in the Town of Amherst as it stands to serve a crucial role in a north-south alternative transportation corridor in town, with hopes of connecting the Amherst Village to the southern school campus area.
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 segment of the Baboosic Greenway offers a direct, parallel route for users to bypass NH 122 between Merrimack Rd and Boston Post Rd, as well as Corduroy Rd a major local route. This portion of NH 122 has a fairly narrow ROW, horizontal and vertical sight distance problems, narrow shoulders, and is generally seen as dangerous for nonmotorized users. This portion of NH 122 has a level of traffic stress of 4, “uncomfortable for most”. By providing a safe alternative along one of Amherst’s highest volume roadways, this project would represent a significant accomplishment toward developing an area-wide, safe alternative transportation network.
Special Projects
While much of the Amherst South-02 segment involves rehabilitating an existing rail trail, some significant obstacles require special attention to make this portion of the Baboosic Greenway contiguous and fully functional, worthy of their own status as projects worthy of pursuit:
Beaver Brook Bridge
This project entails constructing a bridge over Beaver Brook which currently forms an obstacle along the rail bed. Click here to learn more about the Beaver Brook Bridge project.
NH 101 Detour and Underpass
The NH 101 highway embankment presents a significant challenge to the Baboosic Greenway's vision of a contiguous trail network. This major roadway completely bisects the existing rail bed within the Amherst South-02 segment, disrupting direct access and connectivity. The "NH 101 Detour and Underpass" project is designed to address this barrier, offering both temporary and permanent solutions to restore and enhance trail continuity. Click here to learn more about the NH 101 Detour and Underpass project.
Data
Calculating the data of this project, linear feet numbers of each treatment are provided below:
| Treatment | Detail | |
|---|---|---|
| Full segment extent | 5,068 linear ft | |
| Including | Shared-Use Path (Crushed Stone, 10’ typical section with 2’ shoulders) | 4,775 linear ft |
| Box Culvert (NH 101 Underpass) (12’x12’ size, beneath NH 101) | Approx. 150 ft | |
| Midblock Crossing (at Boston Post Rd, RRFB with refuge island, and lighting) | 1 | |
| Bridge (Beaver Brook Bridge) | Approx. 45 ft span | |
| Culvert | Approx. 15 ft span | |
Project Status
The current status of Amherst South-02 is as follows:
| Date | Update |
|---|---|
| 2024-June | This project was submitted for addition to the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TYP) |
| 2024-May | An initiative to fund the Beaver Brook Bridge project was launched |
| 2022-May | This project was submitted for addition to the Ten Year Transportation Improvement Plan (TYP) but was not selected due to funding limitations |
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Baboosic Greenway, Amherst South-02: Preliminary Engineering Report (VHB, 2022) | 4.94 MB |