AMHERST — A nearly 1-mile stretch of Routes 9 and 116, between the intersection with University Drive and South Pleasant Street, will be rebuilt in 2019.
The $1.26 million state Department of Transportation project aims to reconstruct the portion of the state highway, which passes by athletic fields at the Amherst College campus and single-family homes, into a so-called complete streets corridor that will improve safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicles, spokesman Patrick Marvin said in an email.
A public information meeting on the project will be held at Town Room at Town Hall at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, during which the various design options will be outlined
The road will be widened and resurfaced, and sidewalks will be rebuilt, with wheelchair ramps.
Four bicycle accommodation options will be presented, including two 7-foot wide raised and separated bike lanes, two 5-foot wide painted and separated bicycle lanes; one 10-foot wide raised and separated bike lane; and one 10-foot wide multiuse path.
The project is funded through the 2019 Transportation Improvement Program for the Pioneer Valley Metropolitan Planning Organization.