Transportation Planning
Canalside Trail at Unity Park in Turners Falls.
About Transportation Planning
The FRCOG provides Franklin County towns with a variety of transportation planning services. On behalf of the Franklin Region's Metropolitan Planning Organization, which is comprised of local, regional, and state stakeholders, the FRCOG provides staff support to develop and maintain several federally mandated products. These include the Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), a listing of all Franklin County transportation projects eligible to receive federal funding; a long-range Regional Transportation Plan; and a Unified Planning Work Program that outlines work tasks to be completed on an annual basis. In addition, Staff provide local technical assistance to towns on a variety of topics, conduct traffic volume and vehicle classification counts, advocate for needed regional projects such as Route 2 Safety Improvements, conduct parking studies, serve as a clearinghouse for census data, and act as a liaison between Franklin County towns and the state and federal transportation agencies. Funding to conduct this work is provided through the Federal Highway Administration and the Massachusetts Office of Transportation Planning as a multi-year transportation planning grant to the FRCOG.
Current Projects
Connecticut River Scenic Farm Byway The Connecticut River Scenic Farm Byway is one of three state designated scenic byways in Franklin County. It travels along Route 47 and 63 in the towns of Sunderland, Montague, Erving and Northfield. Various projects along the byway are being implemented.
Franklin County Bikeway The Franklin County Bikeway totals approximately 44 miles in length, and primarily consists of a loop through Greenfield, Deerfield, Montague and Gill, with a northern spur to Northfield and two southern spurs, one to Sunderland and the other to Leverett/North Amherst. An update to the Plan prepared in 2008-2009 identified bicycle connections in the eastern and western parts of Franklin County as well.
Indentification of Most Hazardous Intersections Approximately every three years the FRCOG analyzes crash data from the Registry of Motor Vehicles for the 26 communities in Franklin County to identify the most hazardous intersections based the repeated occurrence of crashes during a three year period.
Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway The Mohawk Trail Scenic Byway is one of three State designated scenic byways in Franklin County, and was one of the earliest scenic byways in New England receiving its designation in 1953. In Franklin County, the Byway travels on Route 2 through the towns of Charlemont, Buckland, Shelburne, Greenfield, Gill, Erving, and Orange.
Park and Ride Study The goal of the Park and Ride Study is to identify and evaluate potential park and ride lots throughout Franklin County in order to provide residents travel options for their trips both in the county and to destinations outside of it.
Regional Transit Center Since 2000 the FRCOG has participated in a multi-organization effort to develop a regional transit center and hub in Franklin County. The facility will centralize all transit operations in the region including inter- and intra-city buses, paratransit, and taxis, and will be designed to accomodate potential future passenger rail service.
Regional Transportation Plan Every four years the FRCOG takes a comprehensive look at transportation needs, issues, facilities and potential funding over a 25-year time horizon to update Franklin County's Long Range Regional Transportation Plan. An update of the 2007 Regional Transportation Plan is currently underway.
Roundabouts For a number of years the FRCOG has been advocating for the consideration of roundabouts as alternatives to traffic signals and stop control at intersections.
Route 2 Safety Improvements Since the formation of the Route 2 Task Force in 1994, the FRCOG has been working together with the communities along the Route 2 corridor from Philipston to Greenfield to create a safer roadway. Since that time, significant work has been completed to implement the recommendations for Route 2 Safety Improvements.
Route 2 West Safety Study The Route 2 West Safety Study has been underway for the last several years to complete a detailed review of potential safety issues along the 22 mile Route 2 corridor from and including the Greenfield Rotary west to the Charlemont/Savoy Town Line.
Route 112 Scenic Byway The Route 112 Scenic Byway is one of three State designated scenic byways in Franklin County. It was officially designated in 2004. The Route 112 Scenic Byway travels through the towns of Colrain, Buckland and Ashfield in Franklin County, and the towns of Goshen, Cummington, Worthington and Huntington in Hampshire County. The corridor management plan for the Route 112 Scenic Byway was completed in October 2009.
State Data Center/Business and Industry Data Center Affiliate (SDC/BIDC) As a State Data Center/Business and Industry Data Center Affiliate the FRCOG provides statistical and U.S. Census information upon request to residents, organizations and businesses in Franklin County. In most cases, the information can be provided free of charge.
Traffic Counting Program The FRCOG provides free traffic counting services to our member municipalities on a first-come first-served basis. Traffic counts are often required as support documentation for transportation construction proposals, but are also conducted to obtain vehicle speed and type information for a variety of purposes.
Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Also known as "Share the Road in the Connecticut River Valley." The Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG) was awarded $150,000 in funding from the FY 2002 Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Program for a project called Share the Road in the Connecticut River Valley. The project includes: the purchase and installation of Franklin County Bikeway logo signs and share the road signs; the development of a media campaign to promote bicycling (see enjoytheridebybike.com for more); and the purchase and distribution of bike racks throughout Franklin County. The project is expected to be complete in the Spring of 2008.
Transportation Enhancement Program The FRCOG staff continues to assist towns in advancing previously prioritized and initiated Transportation Enhancement Projects. At this time the focus in on Main Street Streetscape improvements in Northfield.
Transportation Improvement Program The Franklin Region's Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) lists all projects expected to receive federal funds in a given year. Final versions of the 2010 TIP Amendment and the 2011-14 TIP were endorsed by the Franklin County Tranportation Planning Organization on July 27, 2010.
West County Transit Study The FRCOG periodically conducts studies to assess transit services and ongoing unmet transit needs in the Franklin County region. During the summer and fall of 2007, the FRCOG conducted an assessment of transit services and needs in western Franklin County, an area with very limited transit service. The results of this study were used to assist the Franklin Regional Transit Authority in obtaining special funds to implement a consistent, year-round daily schedule of bus service.
This page was last updated on 08/05/2010 .