Buckland Select Board Recommends Narrower Bike Lanes, Shifted Sidewalk on Route 112

BUCKLAND -- May 26, 2026, Buckland Select Board unanimously recommends Route 112 design changes and advances a $250,000 park grant application. The board voted 3-0 Tuesday to ask MassDOT to narrow proposed bike lanes on the Route 112 reconstruction project from 6 feet to 4 feet and to shift a sidewalk segment to the road's south side, with crosswalks near the Mohawk Trail entrance and East Buckland Road, modifications that would reduce the road's total width increase from 6 feet to 2 feet over existing conditions. Board member Joan presented findings from a meeting she held with two MassDOT engineers, saying "I support the sidewalk running from North Street to the town's recreation area" on accessibility and safety grounds. The board also authorized Town Administrator Pam Guyette to submit a Massachusetts Downtown Initiative Implementation Grant application seeking up to $300,000 for a proposed Riverview Park on Conway Street, and approved a six-month extension, to December 31, 2026, for a federally funded housing rehabilitation grant of approximately $1.1 million serving low- and moderate-income residents in Buckland, Colerain, and Ashfield, with roughly $580,000 committed to eight of 16 targeted units.