A second 1.7-mile phase of the River Walk Loop is in the works and officials hope to start construction in the spring or early summer.
People enjoy the view of the Connecticut River from the River Walk in Agawam.AGAWAM — The city seeks proposals from engineering consultants to work on the $2.5 million second segment of the River Walk Loop that officials hope to start construction on in the spring or early summer of next year.
Planning and Community Development Director Deborah S. Dachos said Friday that 20 consulting firms have already expressed interest in doing the work.
The 1.7-mile second phase of the project to increase access to the Connecticut River will be paid for entirely by the state Department of Transportation. It will consist of work along the part of School Street that intersects with River Road as well as part of the south end of River Road.
That work will connect to about 1.7 miles of a multi-use trail along River Road and will be available for use by hikers as well as bicyclists. The project will involve creating bicycle lanes on both sides of School Street, according to Dachos, making the street much safer for people on bicycles.
“The road (School Street) is really dangerous right now for bikers. It is too narrow and visibility is not good,” Dachos said.
The new leg of the walk along School Street will have the advantage of having playing fields at one end of the street and School Street Park on the other end, she said. Dachos said being able to expand access for bicycles in the city is very exciting.
“The first part of the bicycle loop has far surpassed my expectation in how well it has been received by the community. The residents love it, and it is highly used,” Dachos said.
Work on the second phase of the project has been long in coming, she said. Dachos said work began in 1998, when the Manchester, Conn.-based Fuss & O’Neill began design under a contract with the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission.
The city was able to submit 100 percent design plans to the state last December and was positioned for the state to award it $2.5 million for the second phase of the project shortly later.
Long-term plans call for completing the loop by creating bike lanes on Main Street from the Route 57 ramp to River Road.