State and local officials participated Thursday in the opening of a new railroad underpass linking heavily-used bike trails in Northampton, Massachusetts.
MassDOT boss Stephanie Pollack called the $4.4 million project "an investment in safety."
The new tunnel means cyclists and pedestrians will no longer have to follow a lengthy detour route, or take the risk of crossing tracks now used by high-speed passenger trains.
" Some people might look at it and say '$4.4 million is an awful lot of money for something that is not very big,'" said Pollack. "It may not be physically large, but it is a big idea."
Northampton’s network of bike trails are heavily used by commuters, children riding to school, a delivery and hauling service that uses bicycles, and for recreation.
